Addiction
by Kitanoe-Jyoni
Summary: Kitanoe has been on the run for as long as she can remember, and develops a habit while hiding in Human World. She's finally apprehended by Koenma's team, however she learns that Koenma wants to hire her for her skills in thievery instead of arrest her. After training and fighting with the team, she becomes addicted to something else, or rather someone else
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu hakusho, it's characters, or anything affiliated with it. I use the characters and locations for my own personal enjoyment and yours. I own Kitanoe Jyoni. I do use wikia for information on locations and characters that I may need later. Rating is for language, violence, drug references, and intimacy scenes in future chapters. Please Review! Good and bad are accepted, as I value the opinions of my readers._

**Chapter One**

Her skin was flushed as she leaned back into the couch. Her blue sapphire eyes were dilated as she stared at what was left over on the table. She had used this house for some time. No one was ever home, so she slept here most nights. She stole to survive, and to supply her drug habit. Her dark black hair fell over her shoulders as she leaned closer to the table where she had crushed the Roxy into fine powder. She had to give the humans the benefit of the doubt in the fact that they could create sustaining pain killers. Roxy was just a street name. They were high end Percoset's. This particular haul was obtained by stealing from Spirit World two months ago. She had stolen jewels and artifacts that easily sold on the black market. She glared at the powder on the table. She was being hunted and was forced to hide in the hell hole that was this human city. Her demon energy wasn't even that powerful. Once Koenma's Spirit Detective found her, she would surely be dead. Grabbing the straw on the table with quick haste, she placed it to her nose and inhaled the last of the powder before letting unconsciousness claim her for the night.

"We've been working this case now for two months and we still don't have any leads. What if this chick is dead or something?" A rough voice, attached to a tall male with orange hair and high cheek bones, mused.

"That's not possible, Kuwabara. I for one would know for sure. I would have had to escort her across the River Styx." A blue haired woman, with a high pitched although soft voice, answered him. "And her demon energy is always so low that we can't pick up any trace of her on my demon compass."

"Well this is just a big waste of time." Another male with greased back, jet black hair spoke. "How are we supposed to find her then? There hasn't been any sign of her in Demon World, and Botan can't find her in Human World or Spirit World. What did she steal anyway? Is it that important to find her?"

"Don't be lazy, Yusuke!" A toddler with a blue pacifier in his mouth screeched at his Spirit Detective. "What she stole isn't important, it's the fact that she infiltrated our command center without so much as a guard catching her or even getting a read on her power! This isn't the first time she has stolen from us either! The SDF can't even get a trace on her location!" The toddler slumped down, clearly defeated and exhausted from his search attempts.

"I'm sorry Lord Koenma, but I don't see what options we have left..." Botan humbly spoke with equal defeat.

"Does the wanted criminal by chance have a previous record?" A tall male with long red hair entered the room, followed by a shorter male with spiky blue-black hair with a white star burst in the center. "Perhaps it would help if we had a picture, or the where abouts of where her previous crimes were reported. It might help us narrow out an area to search."

"That's the problem, Kurama. We have reason to believe that she may indeed be in the Human World-" Koenma started before he was interrupted by Yusuke.

"Well then let's go find this demon bitch so I can get back to doing nothing."

"Would you shut up and listen for once in your life!" Koenma snapped. "You've been my detective now for 7 years Yusuke. You would think you would know how this works. " Koenma clicked a button on his remote, and as the screen fell for viewing, a picture appeared of the wanted criminal.

She was more then beautiful. She had long flowing black hair and sapphire blue eyes. She had gorgeous ivory skin and was all around radiant. Her information came next. She was wanted in all 3 Demon World regions, Spirit World, and even Human World. She was wanted for more then hundreds of heists. Her name is Kitanoe Jyoni, Alias Kitty. She was half fire, half ice demon; very rare. She was barely a D class demon, but her skills in stealth and thievery rivaled those of Youko Kurama's. Last known location was in the shopping center of Yusuke's town! Last seen speaking with another demon who went by the name Felix.

Yusuke looked back over at Koenma. "How long ago was she spotted?"

"3 weeks ago I am afraid. There is no telling if she is still there. We just received this information from an unknown source late last night, which is why I called you here so urgently. " Koenma paused for a moment. "Yusuke, I am going to cut to the point. Once you apprehend her, bring her straight to me. I want her to work for me-"

"WHAT!?" Yusuke snapped.

"-So that she may recover other lost and stolen artifacts and return them to me. Thousands of relics are missing Yusuke. Powerful ones. She is the only one I know who is capable of the skills needed to handle these missions. She eluded the SDF Yusuke."

"Are we done here? A D class thief is hardly worth my precious time." The shorter male finally spoke.

"Get used to it Hiei. Like it or not, she is joining your team. However if she does refuse she will be spending more then 500 years locked up and guarded 24/7. I don't see her picking the latter option." Koenma leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest.

With a scowl Hiei vanished into thin air. Kurama chuckled as he followed Yusuke and Kuwabara out of Koenma's office.

* * *

><p>Kitanoe shot straight up from her slumber. She was dripping with sweat and her chest was tight. She glanced at the clock to see it was 3 AM. Her heart rate increased as a quick panic overtook all of her senses. She was out of Roxy. She scoured the table looking for any trace and fell back onto the floor with her head in her hands. She felt sick as a nauseous feeling took hold. Kitanoe ran to the bathroom and wretched, merely dry heaving. Eating dulled her high, so she ate very little, and was able to vomit nothing. She took deep breath after breath before she calmed down from her state of panic.<p>

She crawled back into the living room, having very little energy. She usually would have been knocked out for some time, but she was becoming immune to the effects of the Roxy and needed more and more each time. She fumbled around in the dark for her human cell phone and speed dialed Felix. "Now...Now Felix. I need double. Twenty minutes." She hung up the phone and went into spasms of shaking and nausea. She slipped on her shoes and hurried out of the door. The night air was cooling against her already sweating and clammy skin. Kitanoe placed the hood of her sweatshirt over her head and shoved her hands deep in her pockets as she began walking towards Kaidan, the local shopping center.

Everything was closed for the night. It was dark inside all of the stores and the only light came from the street lamps. She located the meeting destination just inside an alley way and leaned against the dirty brick wall and waited.

* * *

><p>"I swear, Koenma has his head up his ass." Yusuke frowned as he walked down the road with Kuwabara by his side.<p>

"Yeah he seems to have a thing for reforming criminals. Just look at Kurama and Hiei!" Kuwabara grinned. "Kurama is okay, but I still don't trust the shrimp!"

"Orders are orders I guess. " Yusuke sighed.

"You ass! You shorted me!" Came a loud screaming.

Yusuke and Kuwabara paused immediately as they looked straight ahead at their wanted criminal, yelling at a cowering demon.

"Honest it's all I had! I tried to tell you over the phone but you hung up on me!" Felix tried to explain. He had military cut brown hair, and purple eyes. He looked like a teenage boy and was scrawny like one. Kitanoe had him pinned to the wall by his throat.

"Well well well. Look who we have here!" Kuwabara announced their presence.

"You're going to have to come with us, by the orders of Spirit World." Yusuke said with a small smirk of triumph.

Kitanoe looked back and forth between the two detectives with wide eyes. Her heart rate quickened and her chest felt tight once more. She grabbed the pill bottle from Felix and pushed him into Kuwabara and started to run further into the alley. Kuwabara caught Felix and nearly tossed him aside just to follow Yusuke in the chase.

"You're just making this harder on yourself!" Yusuke yelled after the female demon.

"Fuck you!" Kitanoe snapped as she jumped from the building wall to the other building and soon found herself on the roof. All she needed was a place to hide. She quickly turned around and was met face to face with a crimson eyed demon.

"I dare you to say that to me." Was all he said before he hit her in the temple of her head with the hilt on his katana sword, knocking her unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu hakusho, it's characters, or anything affiliated with it. I use the characters and locations for my own personal enjoyment and yours. I own Kitanoe Jyoni. I do use_ _Wikia for information on locations and characters that I may need later. Rating is for language, violence, drug references, and intimacy scenes in future chapters. Please Review! Good and bad are accepted, as I value the opinions of my readers._

**Chapter Two**

She awoke when she heard the voices of a heated argument. She sat up quickly and felt the quick stabbing pain that erupted from her temple. Kitanoe winced considerably causing her vision to blur slightly. She looked around her...prison? She couldn't be sure. She was in a white room, laying on a futon of some kind. There was a window. She leaped for it and was instantly thrown back against the opposite wall.

_The window is warded...that must mean the door is too..._

She thought to herself as she closed her eyes to try and figure out what was happening. Last thing she remembered was being chased by the detectives. Had they caught her? How did they even find her?

Her eyes went wide from realization. _Felix_. She glared. Kitanoe heard more yelling and decided to listen in and get a better understanding of where she was and what position she was in. She felt 3 demon energies. She frowned, sensing several human energies as well. Kitanoe could sense others but there were too many energies mixing together to tell.

"I am not some hotel for your criminals!" She heard a scratchy, irritated voice yell. That had to have been the fourth time Kitanoe had heard said voice yell about being a hotel service.

"Master Genkai, I assure you, this will be worth your time." It was an older voice. A male voice. One who spoke with confidence and regality. Kitanoe went wide eyed at the sudden realization that it was the Prince of Spirit World; Koenma.

"I am not here here to coddle and protect that girl, nor will I agree to it! I can not guarantee her safety or the fact that she would even stay here at all! As far as I am concerned, if you leave her here, she is free to go!" Kitanoe heard the Master Genkai speak the words of her freedom and was instantly hoping that Koenma would give in. The fates were not in her favor today.

"Yusuke and the others stay here too, do they not? For conveniences you have allowed them to use the right side of your temple, as well as training grounds and the forests. They will be responsible for her. I can assure you she will not be a burden."

"No. That is final. Use my land by the beach. There is a smaller but efficient temple there. Do not expect anything further of me Koenma. I am old, and I can't keep babysitting for you." She heard foot steps walking away and after that complete silence.

Her head began throbbing again and she weakly laid back down on the futon. As she shuffled with the blanket she heard something roll across the floor with a familiar rattle.

The Roxy.

She grabbed the bottle with desperate need and looked around the room. She really didn't have anything to crush it with, and popping the pills didn't have the same effect as snorting them. She glared at herself for having such weak self control, but if she is going to Spirit World Prison then she was going to use the Roxy while she had it. After a quick count, she realized she had about 75 out of a script of 120. She heard a knock on the door. With speedy hands she quickly re-bottled 70 of the pills and swallowed 5 just as the door opened.

"Kitanoe Jyoni. We finally meet."

"Lord Koenma, how unfortunate." Kitanoe glared.

"I have a proposition for you, and in my opinion it's paradise compared to 500 years in Spirit World's High Security Prison." He crossed his arms.

_500 years!?_ She paled as her eyes widened. "What crimes warrant 500 years! Tell me now!" Kitanoe knew she had been in quite a bit of trouble, but something was not right about those charges. There was a folder at her feet that had been casually tossed. Her eyes quickly scanned the warrants and accusations. She was unaware of more then half of the accusations, and was certain she was being falsely accused of most. Keeping that to herself she looked at Koenma. "What is your proposition?"

"You are to work for me. If you can recover what I ask of you, I will wipe your criminal history clean."

Kitanoe scoffed. "You want me to be a Spirit Detective?"

"Not exactly. You won't go on 'Save the World' missions. You will help me locate and recover thousands of lost and stolen relics, artifacts, anything that possesses a considerable threat or is a possible danger. We can't have these items getting into the wrong hands."

"You mean like mine? What makes you so sure you can even trust me? It's taken you this long to find me. What's to stop me from just disappearing again?" Kitanoe laid back on the pillow. She hoped Koenma would cut to the chase with this. Popping the pills wouldn't give her a big high, but enough to make her sleep for a few hours. She was feeling the effects of the Roxy already.

"Let's just say I have a knack for character judgment. By tonight, you and my other detectives will be relocated a few miles from here."

Kitanoe closed her eyes for a moment only to snap them wide open when she felt Koenma's hand on her ankle. She looked down and saw a ring of energy around her ankle. "What is that!?"

"It's a lot like a house arrest bracelet. Only I can control it's coordinates. It will let you go where I allow you to go. If you try and go outside the lines I have drawn it will electrocute you to match your demon energy. Not enough to kill you but enough to make a point. I may have good judgment in character but I have also been known for lack of, as well."

Kitanoe glared. "You're mad! Who said I even agreed to this?"

"You did. When you automatically didn't choose prison." Kitanoe thought she saw him smirk, but it was hard to tell with the pacifier in his mouth. She watched him leave and shut the door. She had half a mind to follow him, or at least try the window again.

Her eyes felt heavy as she stood up and walked over to the window. She hesitantly reached for the window with a slow and precise motion and was covered with tiny purple colored electric shocks. She winced as she pulled back and saw the burns that formed on her hands. She glared and stormed over to the door with her fists clenched. Kitanoe hesitated before grabbing the door knob and surprised that she could even touch it. She turned the handle slowly and watched the door open.

She peaked outside. First to the left, then the right. No one was in sight. She sensed out to where she could feel the energies. She could avoid them all together and make an escape! She yelped when she felt her ankle twitch from shock.

_I can't even think about leaving or it shocks me!? What am I!? Some mongrel!?_

She quickly found her way to the front of the temple where a few people were congregating. She glared at Koenma, her sapphire eyes were merely slits as she clenched her fists. Something inside her was driving this anger. Something she couldn't quite place. "You spoiled pompous ass! Take this thing off me this instant!"

Suddenly all eyes were on here. The two human detectives she recognized from last night. A male demon with long red hair. A blue haired demon with crimson eyes. The old woman she assumed was Genkai. The Grim Reaper. A crimson eyed male demon. The one who hit her last night. The one who got her trapped into this mess.

The Roxy was in her blood stream enough to cause a spike in adrenaline. That was the good thing about the little drug. If you were tired, you would sleep for hours. If you were full of other emotion such as anger, it would fuel you, but impair your judgment. Her demon aura was spiraling.

"You said she was a D class demon!" Yusuke glared at Kitanoe, although speaking to Koenma.

Koenma nodded. "That's all anyone was ever to assess from her." He sounded worried, and for good reason. It wasn't common his information was wrong. He turned and looked at a purple eyed demon that Kitanoe overlooked in her scan of the populous. "Felix! Why didn't you tell us!?"

Kitanoe looked instantly at Felix. The demon was shaking with fear. "So. It was you who informed them."

"I swear, I didn't know they would actually find you! I just wanted the reward money!" Felix was cowering now.

"I hope it was worth dying for!" Kitanoe started to approach him.

"Kitty! GAH-uh..." Felix was gasping for air. Kitanoe's arm was in-cased in ice sharpened to look like a sword. Blood ran down the ice and over her exposed arm and down to the ground. Felix lay in a pool of blood on the concrete. Life was leaving his eyes as the blood poured from his throat.

The crimson eyed female shrieked as she bent down to Felix and placed her hands over his neck. She worked quickly in attempts to heal the dying demon. He had lost far too much blood, but the healer continued to try.

"Well this is promising." Yusuke nearly stuttered.

"She killed her own friend! How do we even trust her to be a team mate!" Kuwabara was pale and panicked.

"Shut up." Kitanoe snapped as the ice melted off her arm. "I kill team mates who are traitors, and those who aren't loyal, like Felix. I'm not some barbarian who runs off and kills without justification." She glared at Kuwabara before turning to Koenma. "Recheck my file. More then half of those charges are false. "

There was a silence.

The red haired demon finally spoke. "Trying to prove your innocents although you have just killed in front of us is not a good way to begin this alliance."

"It's never been a crime for a demon to kill a demon, last I checked."

"She's right..." Koenma swallowed hard before speaking again. "I will recheck your file. Be ready for your first assignment a week from tomorrow. That should give you enough time to settle in to your new environment." Koenma quickly disappeared into a temporary portal.

The body on the ground was quickly starting to cause unease amongst the group. The red eyed male stepped forward and incinerated the body into nothing. Kitanoe couldn't help but notice that he and the girl had the same colored eyes. This one was quiet. Reserved. Very powerful. She nearly jumped when she felt a hand land on her shoulder. She spun around with every intention of attack, but saw it was the Grim Reaper.

"It's alright, Kitanoe. I understand this is difficult for you but the quicker everyone cooperates, the quicker we can move on to other things." She smiled brightly. "I'm Botan! Your guide to the River Styx!"

"I'm Yukina." The teal haired girl with red eyes smiled at her. She had a calming aura about her and she seemed completely over the death of Felix. What a strong female

"Well then since we are getting on with the introductions, I'm Yusuke. " Yusuke pointed at himself as if to state the obvious.

"The names Kuwabara..." Kuwabara spoke as if we were still slightly afraid.

"My name is Kurama, and this is Hiei." The green eyed, red haired, male looked down at the crimson eyed demon that was Hiei. Without saying a word he the demon name Hiei vanished into thin air. "Hiei is not a social person." Kurama added.

"And this here's the old hag!" Yusuke grinned down at Genkai only to be side kicked into the near by tree.

"This old hag can still mangle you." Genkai glared at Yusuke's twitching form on the ground.

Kitanoe was unsure. She felt welcome, but equally not so. Trust was a thing to be earned she soon realized with good reason. She had just killed in front of them. She started to feel panicked for the briefest moment. The Roxy was starting to wear off. Being half fire demon can burn the medicine right out of you. Demons treatment hospitals were the worst if you were a fire demon. They wouldn't waste an ounce of medication on you because it would all just dissipate within an hour. She noticed they were waiting on her to say something.

"Kitanoe. Tell me, is there somewhere I can rest for a few?" The pill bottle in her pocket was becoming heavy.

"Not for a few hours. Genkai made it clear she wants us to head out." Kuwabara answered. "Its a long trek out to the new place."

A few hours had been an understatement. Even had they been running it would have taken 4 hours. Walking there took 6 thanks to Kuwabara who whined every 10 minutes. Hiei was no where in site and Kurama and Yusuke were rambling on about Dark Tournaments or something. Yukina and Botan stayed with Genkai, so Kitanoe was the lone female in this group.

"Oh Finally!" Kuwabara ran up to the new temple. It was beyond huge! Much smaller then Genkai's temple, but this one wouldn't have an issue with elbow room. The sun was just setting on the ocean. The temple was concealed in the tree line directly in front of the beach where grass met sand.

"This is all Genkai's property. Koenma has made it so you can be on all parts with that bracelet." Botan spoke from behind Kitanoe. Kitanoe jumped.

"Where did you even come from!"

"Oh I flew here, see?" Botan extended her hand and an oar appeared. She sat on it gracefully and flew around for a brief moment before landing again. "I usually hang around and keep an eye on the boys. Shizuru and Keiko should be here soon as well."

"Who?" Kitanoe had a feeling she was going to need help remembering all these names. Her stomach felt queasy again. The bottle in her pocket was practically burning a hole in her thigh.

"Oh Kuwabara's sister and Yusuke's girlfriend. We're one big family!" Botan was just too chirpy for Kitanoe.

It was decided who would take what bedroom and soon Keiko and Shizuru came in with loads of groceries and other household necessities. Once in her room Kitanoe looked around. Her bed was an actual bed, not a futon, and a queen sized one at that with blue satin sheets. There was a closet with a dresser inside already stocked with clothes, and a desk in the corner of the room. Each room also had it's own bathroom.

"Amazing what Koenma can do with just a snap of his finger, isn't it?" Botan said from behind Kitanoe again.

"Botan! That's a good way to get your throat sliced!" Kitanoe jumped again.

Botan just laughed. "Oh, you'll get used to me. This is Keiko, and Shizuru. Ladies this is Kitanoe, the newest member of the team!"

Kitanoe looked the females over. Keiko was tall but beautiful. She had long chocolate brown hair that reached the middle of her and brown eyes. She looked so mature and serious. Shizuru had long hair as well, but a much lighter color, as were her eyes. She looked relaxed and bored with the situation.

"I'm Kitanoe." Was all she said.

"Well us girls are going to go start dinner! Yusuke and Kuwabara are in the living room playing video games if you need them. I have no idea where Kurama and Hiei are, but have fun settling in!" And with that Botan and her lady crew were gone. Her door was shut and she was alone.

Kitanoe slammed the pill bottle onto the desk and headed to the bathroom for a long shower. Once out, she brushed her long hair and brushed her teeth and dressed in loose black sweat pants and a white tank top. She quickly made work of the Roxy before laying on the bed and drifting into a much needed sleep**. **


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu hakusho, it's characters, or anything affiliated with it. I use the characters and locations for my own personal enjoyment and yours. I own Kitanoe Jyoni. I do use Wikia for information on locations and characters that I may need later. Rating is for language, violence, drug references, and intimacy scenes in future chapters. Please Review! Good and bad are accepted, as I value the opinions of my readers._

**Chapter Three**

"Is she dead?"

"No, Urameshi, I think she's just sleeping...But I don't want to get any closer to find out!"

"Don't wuss out on me now Kuwabara. Just shake her shoulder."

"OH No! I'm not falling for that! You're sacrificing me as bait so your head's not that one that gets sliced by her ice arm sword thingy!"

"Oh brother, give me a break." There was a shuffling of foot steps. "Hey! Kitanoe! You alive!" Yusuke shook the sleeping demon.

An arm reached out and grabbed Yusuke's arm. Kitanoe stared at Yusuke with deep fear in her eyes. Her breathing was labored and she was covered in an instant sweat. She released him instantly and brought her knees to her chest as she sat up. "Leave...Please leave!" Her voice cracked.

"Hey, whoa are you alright? Bad dream?" Yusuke didn't move an inch. "You've been asleep for 14 hours. It's 9 in the morning."

_My body's been without it for too long_. Kitanoe thought as she looked at Yusuke. "I'm alright. Just leave. Give me a few minutes."

"Hey what's this for?" She heard Kuwabara mumble by the desk, with her Roxy in his hand.

"Put that down!" Kitanoe leaped out of the bed, nearly stumbling as she snatched the bottle from Kuwabara. "It's for an infection from an injury I sustained not to long ago. Powerful stuff that shouldn't be ingested by humans." She quickly felt comfortable with her explanation.

"Oh. Did you get stabbed or eaten or something?" Kuwabara asked.

Kitanoe glared. "Something tells me you're not the brightest bulb in the tanning bed. Does it look like I've been eaten?"

Yusuke laughed. Deep down to his soul, he laughed. "I think I'm going to like having you on the team, Kitty."

Kitanoe looked at him for a moment and decided not to correct him. She sighed. "I will be out in a minute." She waited for them to leave. Yusuke and Kuwabara made their exit and shut the door behind them. Kitanoe locked the door and grabbed a few random pieces of clothing and entered her bathroom, also locking that door. She placed 5 Roxy on the counter and proceeded to crush it into fine powder using the bottom of an unopened shampoo bottle. She glanced around and saw feminine magazines. Picking one up, she scoffed at the cover; beauty tips, what your man really wants, and how to please him in bed._ Is that really what human women read?_ She ripped out a page and folded it in half, then half again. She rolled up the paper until it was a tiny tube and used it as her straw. The powder was gone after about 2 minutes.

Kitanoe recapped the bottle and noticed how many were missing_. I don't even remember how much I took last night. _She placed the bottle on the sink counter and turned the shower on. The hot water was soothing in ways she couldn't explain. Her head felt light headed in a way she enjoyed. The numbing felt a lot like an arm or a leg falling asleep. She finished her shower and brushed her long hair before putting it up with a hair tie. Finally she dressed in a bright yellow tank top and black sweats that didn't go passed her knees. She was in a fighting mood today.

She walked out of her room and looked around. Sure enough, Yusuke and Kuwabara were outside trying to get the better of each other in grappling. Kuwabara was failing horribly. She walked passed the window and into the kitchen where she ate 2 red apples and a glass of something sweet. She didn't know what it was but she ended up drinking another glass. She stretched as she walked back out to where Yusuke and Kuwabara where. Yusuke had Kuwabara in a headlock and pinned to the ground.

"Say Uncle!" Yusuke smirked.

"N-Never!" Kuwabara gasped.

"Kuwabara push off ground with your hands!" Kitanoe snapped. "Use enough energy so that the momentum knocks Yusuke off of you!"

Kuwabara stared at her for a moment before using a little spirit energy to hoist his self up off the ground and elbowed Yusuke right off him. "Hey it worked! Thanks shorty!"

Kitanoe just smirked as Yusuke charged back at Kuwabara and grabbed his arm, tossing him into the ocean like a rag doll. Kuwabara spit and sputtered as he struggled to get out of the knee high water. "Hey no fair! I wasn't looking!"

Suddenly, adrenaline hit Kitanoe. She wanted to fight. "Yusuke." Kitanoe spoke with curiosity.

"Yeah?" He stared at her, unsure of her sudden interest.

"Spar with me." Kitanoe stood in a Goju Ryu stance called the Kokutsu Dachi. "Just hand to hand. No energy."

Yusuke smirked. "I won't go easy on you."

"I wasn't expecting any special treatment, Yusuke." Kitanoe almost grinned. It had been a long time since she had had a good sparring match. Her eyes went wide as she crossed her arms in front of her face to block Yusuke's punch. _He's fast! _She dug her feet into the ground as the blow forced her back. She ducked his next right punch and swept his legs from underneath him with her own. Yusuke quickly caught himself with his palm just as Kitanoe landed a black flip and charged straight at him. Yusuke stood up and charged at her.

Their punches landed on each other at the same time. Their movements were becoming harder and harder to follow. Blow after blow was matched until Kitanoe felt a familiar panic creep up her spine, distracting her enough for Yusuke to hit her face, sending her flying. She saw tunnel vision as she felt herself tearing into the tree and finally she hit something hard. A rock maybe?

Kitanoe laid there for a minute before struggling to stand up. Yusuke and Kuwabara ran to her, as did Botan and Kurama. Apparently they had attracted an audience. "What happened! Your eyes went totally blank but by the time I realized it, I had already hit you." Yusuke grabbed her hand to help her up. She was shaking and she could feel her muscles twitching. She grabbed her chest and fell back onto the ground writhing in pain. Kurama knelt down to her and felt her forehead for fever and had to snatch his hand away.

"She's practically on fire." Kurama worried.

"Is it cause of that infection?" Kuwabara looked at Kurama.

"Infection?" Kurama was now confused.

"Yeah she's got these pills on the desk, says it's special for demon infections." Yusuke looked at Kurama. "You know anything about this?"

"No. That's not even possible. Botan, go retrieve the bottle." Kurama asked Botan.

"N-No!" Kitanoe glared as her teeth clenched. She struggled to sit up, but breathing had become difficult. "I'm fine..."

Botan ignored her and ran back inside. However, it was Hiei who stood next to Kurama with the pill bottle. "I overheard your interesting dilemma. What's Percoset?" Hiei looked at Kurama as he handed him the bottle.

Kurama was suddenly stricken with worry. "How many of these did you take!"

"Doesn't...matter...mine..." Kitanoe's eyes felt heavy.

"What the hell!" Yusuke exclaimed. "I've heard of those! They give those to you at the HUMAN hospital when you're in a lot of pain! "

"Yes and our new friend here is having withdrawals." Kurama had no sympathy in his voice although he sounded nice enough. "Hiei, take her to her room. I am taking Yusuke and Kuwabara to find a plant that should ease her symptoms. Keep the bottle away from her."

Hiei glared. "I'm not babysitting."

"Well then you can go with Kuwabara and Yusuke to find the flower and I will take her to her room, if you'd prefer that."

Hiei glared as he knelt down to pick up the fight worn Kitanoe. She was trembling in his arms.

"We should be back within the hour. Have Botan call for Genkai and Yukina as well. We don't know what damage has already been done and she may need immediate healing assistance." Kurama ran towards the forests edge with Yusuke and Kuwabara at his heels.

"I heard everything, is she alright?" Botan approached Hiei with caution.

"She's passed out. It's a pity. But she's just as weak minded as any human. "

"Hiei, don't be so rash! We barely know the girl." Botan defended.

Hiei didn't say a word as he walked into the temple, turning right and then right again before getting to her room. He opened her door with his telepathy and placed her on her bed, not worried about being gentle. Her forehead had a sheen of sweat and her chest was rising and falling rapidly as she was gasping. He could see every muscle twitch. He stared at her for a few moments before going to her door and locking it. He removed the white bandana over his Jagan eye and peered into her mind.

_There was a girl. She was grinning with a large sack over her back as she ran from the guards. She looked much younger in this memory. She easily leaped into a tree and glided her way across the forest to a small stone cottage. She opened the door. Stolen goods were everywhere. Vases, art work, gold, jewels, statues. _

Hiei shifted to a different memory.

_Now she was scared. Slightly older. She screamed as she was thrown to the ground. She got back up and kept running and running. The one yelling at her kept calling her slave. He ensnared her with demon energy chains and watched her fall to the ground. He sat on top of her and punched her in the face until she was unconscious and dying._

Hiei glared as the memory changed again.

_She had another bag over her shoulder. She sat quietly in the tree as she watched her pursuers run underneath her and towards the sunrise. She held her breathe. She did not want to be caught by these two. A silver haired fox and his demon friend with a strange hat. She breathed a sigh of relief and stayed in that tree for days, too scared to move._

Hiei found the one memory he was looking for.

_Kitanoe was sitting on the bleachers of the Dark Tournament, watching the fights with interest. A demon, looking passed drunk leaned an arm on Kitanoe's shoulder. "Hey, you look to serious. Lighten up babe! Here, try these. " He handed her 2 oval shaped items._

_"What is this?" Kitanoe asked with interest._

_"Trust me. They make you feel invincible! See that feller down there?" He pointed to Toguro."You could beat him. They make you strong, love."_

_Without hesitation Kitanoe swallowed the pills. _

_She woke up hours later, beaten and naked with the "friendly" demon staring at her. She screamed when he and several others forced themselves on her. After they were done with her the demon threw a bottle of the pills at her. "They're good for pain too, sweet heart!" He laughed as he walked away._

Hiei was suddenly sucked into a whirlwind of her memories.

_She was running and scared. She looked back and saw the SDF. She stumbled before trying to climb a tree. She was weak and tired. One sliced down the tree and she screamed as she fell. They grabbed her arms and she used what was left of her demon aura to send ice shards and fire balls at the SDF. They released her as they screamed in pain. She ran as fast as she could. Running and running until she found the portal. She fell in and passed out on the other side._

_She woke up days later in the human world. She was in a grassy field. No buildings. She was searching the grass for something when a hand was extended to her. It was a human doctor. He handed her the bottle she had been searching for and introduced her to Felix._

_Suddenly Yusuke was there. They were fighting. She felt proud and in control for the first time in awhile. Thats when the chest pain started._

There was a knock on the door. Hiei recovered his Jagan eye and unlocked the door. He disappeared out the window before Kurama had time to turn the handle and walk in. He had crushed something up into a paste and slid a spoonful of it into Kitanoe's mouth. She swallowed hard as she tossed and turned violently. Yukina gasped when she entered the room.

"Can you heal her?" Yusuke asked from the doorway.

"I can try." Yukina was always the positive one out of their group. She rushed over to Kitanoe and placed her hands on her chest. Nothing happened. She tried again, and still nothing. "I'm sorry...I can heal her battle injuries but not this..." She looked at Yusuke and Kurama with apologetic eyes.

"Not to worry." Kurama started. "The medicine I have just given her will ease her discomfort, but will take some time."

"Give t-them back...please...please..." Kitanoe opened one eye to look at Kurama.

"That's not going to happen." Yusuke glared at her. "Look, I don't know if you're some kind of junkie or whatever but not anymore. My mother's a junkie drunk and I know what that shit does to you."

"Spare me the theatrics..." Kitanoe glared as she clenched her fist.

"We will let you rest." Kurama stood up and left the room with Yusuke and Yukina.

Kitanoe hugged herself, laying in a fetal position with her knees to her chest. She had tunnel vision and everything hurt. She wanted more then anything to vomit. She felt something tingling in the back of her head. It was calming. She closed her eyes and was instantly asleep. She also didn't dream. At last the nightmares would spare her for one night and give her peace.

Meanwhile, Hiei sat in the large tree along the forest line, calming her with the power of his Jagan eye. He looked down, sensing Kurama. He stayed quiet.

"Hiei. I sensed you as you were leaving Kitanoe's room. Your demon aura let me know you were using your Jagan eye. Did you see anything that might uncover the problem?"

"Hn. She's a normal demon with the same sick and tormented life the rest of us lived." Hiei closed his eyes as he leaned against the tree again.

Kurama almost chuckled. "Remember Hiei, everyone has a chapter in their life that they don't read out loud." Hiei opened his eyes again, just as Kurama was walking away.


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu hakusho, it's characters, or anything affiliated with it. I use the characters and locations for my own personal enjoyment and yours. I own Kitanoe Jyoni. I do use Wikia for information on locations and characters that I may need later. Rating is for language, violence, drug references, and intimacy scenes in future chapters. Please Review! Good and bad are accepted, as I value the opinions of my readers._

**Chapter Four**

Kitanoe felt a crushing blow to her face and her eyes watered. She opened her eyes and almost laughed as she realized she had rolled off the bed and onto the floor. Sitting up, she rubbed her nose and stretched. Her stomach was killing her and she was still shaky, but nothing had compared to what she felt yesterday. She stood weakly and within half an hour she was showered and dressed. She frowned when she looked for the Roxy and came up short.

She sighed. "Yeah, Stupid, cause they're just going to leave it somewhere for you to find." She scolded herself. She started to brush her hair when there was a knock on her door. "Uh...come in?" She almost questioned who would even be up this early. It was still dark outside.

"How are you feeling today?" It was Kurama. He looked much more kinder then he did yesterday. She didn't blame him.

"I feel sick, but not...needy." Kitanoe had trouble describing how she felt without the Roxy. Even if only for a few hours, this is the longest she'd been without it.

"I gave you something yesterday that would ease your symptoms. You need to take it every night before you sleep otherwise you will find yourself in misery." He leaned against the wall.

"I appreciate it, Kurama..." Kitanoe looked down at her hair brush before placing it on the desk. "Look, I don't expect you to understand, but I don't owe anyone an explanation." She looked into Kurama's emerald green eyes with her sapphire blue ones. "A lot has happened and I realize I can't keep going on the path I've been on. It's not going to be an over night thing and I am not going to promise anything. "

"Understood. However, my question more pertains to why you are using Human narcotics."

"Okay...Guess I could answer that one." Kitanoe walked over to her bed and sat down. "I like how they make me feel. I can hide my energy better. They make me feel...happy, relaxed, and powerful. Lately, I have needed more and more. I can take up to 40 a day, sometimes more. " She looked back at Kurama. "And to be honest, not having anything to be focused on, or addicted to is making me nervous and jumpy. I feel so paranoid. Koenma might have me focus on recovering his precious items, but what if he only needs me once a month? Then what do I focus on to keep my mind busy?"

Kurama stayed silent for a moment, deep in thought. "You said you felt sick. How?"

"My stomach hurts constantly. My head hurts too sometimes."

"Your symptoms are stronger then I realized." He mused.

Kitanoe nodded. They stayed there in silence for awhile before Kitanoe couldn't take it anymore. "Kurama, did you need something?"

"Yes." He answered. He walked over to her and sat down on the bed. "Occasionally, Hiei and I venture back into Demon World, to check on the situations in the Alaric and Gandara territories. Yusuke sometimes goes to Tourin but he has made prior engagements and won't be accompanying us this time. Koenma suggested that some time away to Demon World would do you some good, therefore has asked Hiei and I to take you, that is if you want to go."

"Are you asking because Koenma told you to? Or because you want to?" Kitanoe was unsure. "I'm not comfortable with being a third wheel, and if I have to hear Hiei say he's not babysitting one more time I am going to rip his tongue out."

"The minor details are not important. You're coming, now let's go. " Hiei stood in the door way with a glare. "The portal's been ready."

Kitanoe glared. "Who says I want to go back?"

"Your nightmares do. " Hiei retorted sarcastically.

Kitanoe was taken aback before she glared. "Stay out of my head, psycho!"

"Time is a pressing manner, Kitanoe. Would you like to go?" Kurama stood.

Kitanoe grabbed a hoodie that was given to her by Botan. It was a plain gray zip up hoodie, but she enjoyed it. She had her shoes on before they could blink and stood toe to toe with Hiei. "I'm going just to bother you. Have fun babysitting you miserable dick." She shoved passed him and followed Kurama back into the tree line and even further into the woods. They could still smell and hear the ocean from where they stood.

"Are you coming?" She heard Kurama say.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry." Kitanoe hurried over to a clearing.

"Kurama, this is already pointless. Her mindless day dreaming is going to get her killed." Hiei crossed his arms with a harsh glare on his face.

"Have faith, Hiei. " Kurama approached him with Kitanoe close by.

Just as Hiei was about to reply with a snark comment, a large portal appeared before them. It radiated heat and looked like a white swirling whirl pool. Hiei didn't hesitate and disappeared into the portal. Kurama nodded to Kitanoe, signaling her to go first. She looked away from Kurama and back at the portal. She inhaled deeply and held her breath as she stepped through. She landed gracefully next to Hiei. Kurama landed on his feet and looked around.

Kitanoe wasn't sure what the two male demons were doing, but they were standing still. She watched their eyes dart from side to side, as if they sensed danger. Kitanoe was more in awe to be back in the Demon World; to be back home. The wind that blew across her face was humid. The air smelled of steel weapons and blood. Her heart ached from the sudden home sickness she wasn't even aware she was suffering from.

"Kitanoe, what was the last thing you remember of Demon World?" Kurama asked.

"She doesn't. She didn't keep up with politics." Hiei glared.

"Stay out of my head!" Kitanoe snapped at Hiei.

"I see. To make a long story short, Raizen is dead, and Yusuke is now leader of Tourin. Mukuro and Yomi have also tragically passed, making Hiei and I the leaders of Alaric and Gandara. After Yusuke threw the last Dark Tournament to determine the King, a demon named Enki won and is now ruler of all Demon World. Yusuke, Hiei and I are still the leaders of the 3 territories, but we report to Enki and Koenma." Kurama explained.

Kitanoe just stared at them with wide eyes. She had half a mind to bow before them, or even curse in astonishment. She saw Hiei smirk again and she shot a glare his way before looking at Kurama. "So...why are you guys here now? "

"To keep rebels at bay." Kurama stated simply. "There are some who have not yet adjusted to the new laws, and are quite uncomfortable with the 3 of us being leaders considering we associate with humans. Not to mention, Yusuke is still part Human and although it sits well with Raizen's company, some of the others are not too thrilled. Yusuke opted to stay behind this time in hopes things will soon settle."

"Can we get on with it?" Hiei snapped, growing increasingly impatient.

"Okay, so what do you need me for?" Kitanoe asked curiously.

"Koenma thinks that the specific outskirts of the cities we are patrolling today will have some items that will interest you. If you find any, you'll need to give them to Koenma." Kurama tossed her a purple bag, no bigger than her palm. "It's an enchanted bag. It will carry anything you put in it, no matter how heavy or the quantity. Keep it safe."

Kitanoe was more then confused as she stared at the enchanted bag in her hands. Without a word she watched Hiei and Kurama start running and she followed close by. They came across a camp site with the fire still going. There was a cast iron cauldron over the fire and the smell of food signified someone was here and cooking. Kitanoe could see 2 tents. "I'll go take a look." Kitanoe whispered.

"The hell you will!" Hiei argued.

"Koenma hired me for a reason! It's because I know how NOT to get caught!"

"Hn. You weren't that hard to catch last time I checked."

Kitanoe just glared and dashed behind one of the tents. She looked left, and then right before coming around to the front. The first tent was empty. Nothing in it but a small make shift cot for sleeping. She dashed to the other tent and there slept a large demon. He looked human, but his aura stated otherwise, and the smell was hideous.

_2 tents; 1 empty, 1 occupied. Food on the fire. Someone will be returning any minute_. Kitanoe assessed the situation in her head. She turned to leave when something caught her eye. It was gold. A full chest of gold and jewels. Next to the chest on the floor was a sword, and a vase, and some sort of mask. She opened up the bag and put the chest, vase, and mask into it. As Kurama promised, the bag weighed nothing and still fit into her palm. She grabbed the sword and dashed out, jumping high enough into a tree just as she sensed the other demon approaching.

She could see Hiei and Kurama but they didn't seem to see her. _Look up! _She yelled at Hiei, hoping his telepathy picked her up. His crimson eyes stared at her. He mumbled something to Kurama and he soon spotted her too. She grinned and flashed a peace sign. _They aren't powerful. I think they are just passerby. _

_Hurry and get back over here. We have other things to tend to. _Hiei glared from across the way_._

_Babysitting, remember? This is going to be a long trip, Hiei, and I suggest you get used to it._

Night fall fell several hours later. They had been in Demon World all day, and Kitanoe was able to retrieve items from several camps and even 1 fortress they managed to break into. It was completely abandoned and full of treasures. Hiei and Kurama built a fire in the cave they were staying in for the night, which was seconds work for them. Kurama conjured plants and Hiei set them on fire. Kitanoe entered the cave carrying several fish she had just acquired from the nearby river. "I don't suppose either of you are hungry?" Kitanoe asked tiredly. Her body was feeling the effects of withdrawal, but she seemed less phased with it then before. There was a new happiness about her.

Kurama smiled and thanked Kitanoe and her offered to fillet and cook the fish, which she greatly appreciated. She opened up her little enchanted bag and pulled out 3 cots that she had stolen from the last camp. Kurama chuckled. "You are the resourceful one aren't you?"

"Well, when you guys said we would be here for a few days I figured I might as well steal some supplies while I was at it. I can't tell you how much I've missed this. The Demon World, the hunt, the adrenaline. It's more then I could have asked for. I am grateful for you, Kurama. You too, Hiei." She looked at the fire demon who was standing at the entrance of the cave.

Hiei didn't say anything, but Kitanoe just shrugged. Sometime later they were eating about 3 fish each and damn, Kurama could cook! Kitanoe was completely exhausted by the time she laid her head down. She swallowed the awful concoction Kurama invented for her symptoms and fell asleep without another thought.

Hiei sat next to the fire with his sword next to him. He stared into the red and orange embers before glaring at Kurama. "You can stop staring any minute now. "

Kurama looked away innocently. "I have no earthly idea what you're referring to, but I was curious to know if you were going to keep away her nightmares again."

"Hn." Hiei leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, not bothering to answer Kurama.

* * *

><p>It was dark in the cave and everyone was asleep. The fire was going out and it was becoming rather cold. Kitanoe woke up and looked around sleepily. It was still dark out, probably 3 or 4 in the morning at least. She removed the thin blanket from her self and grabbed her sword. Paranoia swept over her as she approached the cave entrance. She looked around and saw nothing. The night was silent. Not even an owl. She swallowed hard as she stepped outside the cave and took it upon herself to scout out the area. She searched the area for 2 hours and found nothing as she came back to the cave. The sun was rising for the day, and Kurama and Hiei would be awake soon. Kurama looked so human in his sleep. No one would ever suspect him of being a demon. Hiei looked human as well, but still fierce, almost as if he could kill in his sleep.<p>

Kitanoe sighed as she laid back down on her cot and closed her eyes. She heard a noise as a pebble fell on top of her forehead, and she snapped her eyes open and was staring into the large red eyes of a demonic spider. She had half a mind to scream but instinct took over. She grabbed her sword and hurled it at the demon spider. She heard the thick slice and tearing as the sword speared through the demons large abdomen. The demon wailed which woke Hiei and Kurama. Kitanoe jumped out of the way just in time as the spider fell and curled into a ball, twitching until it's last breath. Kitanoe panted heavily as Kurama helped her to her feet.

"Are you alright!?"

"Yeah...Just startled."

She watched as Hiei walked over to the spider and removed her sword from his flesh before he set it ablaze with just his palm. "We need to move. Yesterday was easy work in Gandara. Alaric won't be so passive." He tossed her her sword and she caught it easily. She smirked, ready for a new day in Demon World.


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu hakusho, it's characters, or anything affiliated with it. I use the characters and locations for my own personal enjoyment and yours. I own Kitanoe Jyoni. I do use Wikia for information on locations and characters that I may need later. Rating is for language, violence, drug references, and intimacy scenes in future chapters. Please Review! Good and bad are accepted, as I value the opinions of my readers._

**Chapter Five **

Kitanoe dodged the sword coming for her abdomen with a back flip. She quickly pulled her hand back, charging it with a red energy before punching the demon between the eyes. She lit him on fire and watched him scream for mercy. She glanced back at Kurama who had several of his own targets ensnared in a mess of vines. Hiei couldn't be found because he was moving to fast. In fact, the only reason Kitanoe even knew he was still around was because of the screaming and death she heard from his own targets. Kitanoe winced as she was knocked into the nearest tree. She hated being caught off guard. She stood up and rolled out of the way quickly just as a large axe was brought down. The tree she was just leaning against was split in half. Kitanoe grabbed her sword and threw it at the 12 foot tall demon warrior. She pierced it's heart and had to dodge the body as it fell to the ground.

"Are you alright?!" Kurama ran over to her. Glancing back, Kitanoe could see the bodies of Kurama's enemies.

"Yeah." Kitanoe stood up. Thankfully she only had minor wounds. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Hiei landed next to her.

"This was an ambush. They have become accustomed to our patrol schedule." Hiei said as he sheathed his sword with quick motion. Kurama just nodded.

"So, now what?" Kitanoe asked after few minutes of silence.

"We push forward and continue." Hiei snapped.

"Hiei, we should rest. Kitanoe isn't used to-" Kurama had started.

"I can do whatever he can do!" Kitanoe pointed at Hiei. "Lead the way oh fearless leader!" Kitanoe, who was certain she was glaring at Hiei, was suddenly on her back and facing the sky with a sword pressed into her neck. The blade bit into her skin and started to draw blood.

"If you want to live, girl, I suggest you drop the sarcasm." Hiei glared.

Kitanoe stayed brave as she glared back. Through gritted teeth, she spoke. "Baby. Sitting. " She felt the sword press deeper into her neck. The warm trickle of blood rolling down her neck and shoulder and onto the grass was enough for Kurama.

"Hiei, we need to press on if you want to reach Mukuro's Fortress by nightfall."

"Hn." Hiei removed the sword from Kitanoe's neck and started walking away from the two.

"You'll get used to Hiei. " Kurama helped Kitanoe up with swift ease. Kitanoe followed Hiei, glaring at the back of his head the entire time. Kurama chuckled as he followed his team mates.

Hiei and Kitanoe had been in petty arguments that entire day. She was exhausted and it was getting harder and harder to conserve her demon energy. She felt Hiei was purposely leading them into danger. Ever since he saw her kill that demon spider in the cave early that morning, he had been watching her fighting technique. He wouldn't admit it, but Kitanoe knew what he was doing. She would catch him watching her mid battle. He would argue and purposely push her buttons to check her temper and judgment. Kitanoe was sick of it.

_I don't know what your game plan is, but I am not some toy! You can't keep walking into situations like this, you'll get one of us killed!_ Kitanoe snapped, hoping he heard her. She was no telepath, but she knew when someone was inside of her head.

_If anyone dies, it'll be you. I'm surprised you've lasted this long._

_You're purposely leading us in the direction of the Rebels! You're watching me, I'm not stupid!_

_Stupid is not the word I would use. Disgraceful is more appropriate. First you hide in the Human World and you stay hidden like a coward. Then you become an addict on Human medicinals. Do I need to say more?_ Hiei's voice inside her head was harsh and judgmental.

_Shut up! You know nothing of what I've been through_-

_I already know everything. I can read your mind. I can go through your memories like an open book. I can watch your nightmares as they play out. _

Kitanoe was about to snap at Hiei when the ground shifted from under them. It was more then an earth quake as the ground began splitting and roaring beneath them. Hiei and Kurama jumped from rock to rock to get to more sturdy ground. Kitanoe followed and was nearly crushed between two large boulders that came from the ground. She landed next to Kurama and Hiei and the three burst into a fast run. The earth quake was following them.

"Something is chasing us!" Kurama made the connection.

"Oh great, is this another one of your tests Hiei!?" Kitanoe snapped. The ground caved from under them and they went down.

* * *

><p>Kitanoe woke up dazed before she looked around hurriedly. They were in a dark wet cave. Nothing was moving, but she could hear water dripping. The ground was not shattering like she last remembered. She glanced next to her and saw Hiei on the ground, still unconscious. Kurama was a few feet away in the same position. Only because he was closer, she crawled over to Hiei. She felt a deep pain in her right side and nearly cried out as she moved. She grabbed her side as she shook Hiei with her other hand. "Wake up! Hey!" He was out cold. She crawled over to Kurama and had no luck with him either. Panic started to set it.<p>

Kitanoe took a deep breath and winced at the pain in her side. She didn't have her sword either considering she left it in the heart of the demon she threw it at. She opened her palm and conjured a small fire to illuminate the cave. She couldn't see the sky, just cave stalagmites, as she looked up. The cave was large enough and appeared to have many passages. It smelled damp, almost moldy. She stood up and gasped as her right side exploded with pain. She held out her shaky hand holding the flame and began looking for a way out.

She was scared. Her two stronger team mates were unconscious, and probably injured just as she was. She was alone and wandering in cave with a flame she was creating with the last of her energy. She felt like a dumb ass entirely, but this was the alternative to sitting down waiting to be rescued like some fairy tale princess.

She followed one of the narrow paths, still only hearing the faint drip of the water. Everything in her vision was black. The walls were black, the floor and the ceiling were black, and she couldn't see in front of her or behind her. There wasn't any light. She felt her heart racing as paranoia started to set in.

_Not the right time to have a phobia of the dark_. She noted to herself. It took almost 5 minutes for her to realize that she couldn't hear the water anymore. She almost didn't breathe. She didn't hear anything at all until her face was pushed into the cave wall. She yelped as she felt blood run down into her eyes and face. She struggled against her assailant but they only grabbed her hair by the fist full and slammed her head into the hard rock wall.

"Where are they!?" The voice screamed in her ear. It was a male voice. She glared in the dark and stayed quiet. Her head was slammed into the wall as a result. She whimpered as more blood ran into her eyes."Where. Are. They!? I want the 3 of them! They will die!" The male sounded desperate. Evil and desperate.

"W-Who?" Kitanoe spoke slowly.

"Those Human lovers. The new Lords! They must die! They all must die!" His voice sent chills down Kitanoe's spine.

"I don't know who you're talking about-AH!" Her face was crushed into the wall several more times before she was released. She fell to the floor and was kicked repeatedly. She felt her already broken ribs starting to crack and shatter.

"Start. Talking!" The voice spoke.

Kitanoe didn't say a word. She didn't even think about Hiei, Kurama or Yusuke, in case this male was also a telepath. Instead she thought of random things. Colors. Fruits. Flowers. Anything. She coughed up what she knew was blood from the metallic taste in her mouth. She felt herself get kicked onto her back and instant panic set in when the male was on top of her. He had her hands above her head, bruising her wrists. She struggled against him when he sent electricity into her body, shocking her painfully. She screamed as she writhed from under him. She felt claws caress her cheek and down her neck and slowly heard the tearing sound of her shirt. He sent more power into his attack and she screamed louder. The pain was too much, and she let tears spill from her eyes.

"Ready to talk yet?" He asked, but all he received was her screaming. "Are you a Human lover too? Are you that ready to die for those fools?"

Kitanoe used what energy she had to freeze his hands. The electricity stopped instantly as the male was confused and caught off guard. He slapped her across the face, shattering the thin ice from his left hand, and then his right. He wasted no time in pulling her pants down. She fought him and kicked as hard as she could but she was so weak from his previous attacks. She couldn't breathe because of her broken ribs. She shut her eyes tightly and yelled out when she felt him inside of her. She felt sick and weak. She would have rather died. She tried everything to ignore his moans as he rocked himself back and forth inside of her. She struggled from under him as the friction started to burn her. He grabbed her throat with his free hand and started electrocuting her all over again. She couldn't breathe to scream, and her vision was blacking out.

The electricity stopped. The thrusting stopped. She heard a gasping noise followed by something falling to the floor. She felt someone else reaching for her as she fell unconscious.

* * *

><p>Kitanoe woke up back in her bed, in Human World. She sat up quickly and her vision spotted. The amount of pain she was in was unlike anything she had every felt. She jumped and nearly screamed when Botan opened the door to her room, followed by Yukina. They both gasped when they looked at her. Not a word was spoken as Yukina sat down by Kitanoe's bed side and placed gentle cool hands on her rib cage. Yukina used all of her energy to heal Kitanoe, but the injuries were too extensive. Her face was still bruised, but no longer swollen and bleeding. Her ribs were no longer broken, but still bruised and sore. Her other wounds were not bleeding but she felt deep pain from inside her. She had burns on her bruised wrists, and her throat from the electricity she endured. She was taken by surprise when Yukina hugged her.<p>

Kitanoe fought back tears as she hugged her back. She hated feeling weak but she knew at this moment she was. Realization soon hit her and she looked at Botan. "Hiei? Kurama?" Her voice was hoarse.

Botan choked back tears. "Oh you brave thing. They're both just fine. They brought you back and are waiting to hear how you're doing. Are you alright?" Her eyes watered.

Kitanoe had to look away. If anyone started the water works she would be sure to follow. "I'm alive. I hurt every where but I can breathe better now. Mentally I'm a train wreck."

"What happened?" Yukina asked quietly as she pulled away from the embrace.

All the air was knocked out of Kitanoe's lungs at the question. She was in shock. Surely Hiei and Kurama knew? She'd been half naked when they found her! Hiei would have read her mind and told Kurama. _They're being discreet for me! _She thought. The gesture of kindness was too much, and Kitanoe covered her face with her hands and burst into tears. Botan and Yukina cried with her but didn't ask anymore questions.

Botan helped Kitanoe take a bath while Yukina went to ask Kurama about fast healing plants. The amount of dried blood that rinsed into the tub was astonishing. Botan had to empty and refill the tub 3 times. Kitanoe brought her knee's up to her chest while Botan sat on the edge of the tub to keep her company. "Everything hurts..." Kitanoe spoke softly, almost child like.

"I know, sweetie." Botan said soothingly.

"I was protecting them. Hiei, Kurama, and Yusuke." Kitanoe's voice was so quiet.

"What do you mean?" Botan asked quietly.

"The demon...he wanted to know where they were. He wanted them to die. I wouldn't tell him. I wanted to prove my loyalty..." Kitanoe had to fight back tears as Botan listened. "It was so dark...I just wanted to find a way out."

"Kitty...did he...?" Botan didn't know how to ask the question. Kitanoe just nodded.

Botan helped her wash her hair before helping her out of the bath tub. Kitanoe was even to weak to get dressed on her own. Botan helped her get into a baggy blue shirt and gray shorts. She was brushing Kitanoe's long dark hair on the bed when Yukina came back in with a bowl. There was a liquid in it. Yukina helped Kitanoe drink it.

"What was that..." Kitanoe made a face of disgust.

"Kurama made it for you. To help with the healing. " Yukina smiled. Kitanoe nodded and sighed. Another knock at her door, and Keiko and Shizuru came in with food and something to drink. Kitanoe wasn't hungry in the least but to be polite she ate anyway. The drink they provided was much appreciated.

"Thank you...all of you." Kitanoe spoke to the 4 close knit girls.

"Us girls have to stick together." Shizuru spoke as she opened the window and lit a cigarette.

"Usually we are tending to the boys." Keiko started. "It's nice to help someone who is actually appreciative."

They stayed for another half hour, talking away with mindless girl chatter, before they decided to call it a night. Kitanoe didn't realize how tired she was until she was alone. The lights were off so she laid down on her bed and sighed. Her muscles started to relax when she remembered her window was still open thanks to Shizuru. She sat up and stifled a scream. Hiei was standing in her room. She was flooded with relief and confusion. "...Hiei? Are you okay?"

He crossed his arms. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it immediately. Kitanoe was waiting for a crude or sarcastic comment but it didn't come. Instead, he asked, "Why didn't you give away our positions and spare yourself this agony?"

Kitanoe was not expecting that one. "Okay...Because you're my team mate? Because I wanted to prove my loyalty?" She thought she was finished but she kept talking. "I am disposable." She noticed Hiei was not expecting that answer either. "If the world was to be engulfed in peril, it would need you, and Kurama and Yusuke. I couldn't save the day, I can't even save myself. What good would I be? What's one life compared to millions?" She saw Hiei open the window wider and she reached out for him. "Wait! Don't go! I need to know what happened. Where was that place we were at? What happened after I passed out?"

Hiei sat in the window and closed his eyes with his arms crossed. "Go to sleep. I'll keep your nightmares at bay. You can get the details from Kurama later."

Kitanoe sat there staring at him for a few minutes before she laid back down slowly and painfully as she closed her eyes. She hoped she would be almost healed by morning so she could breathe. She fought sleep for a few minutes because she wanted her questions answered but she was to tired to fight with Hiei. Kitanoe slept soundly through the night; not because Hiei was keeping her nightmares away, but because he was there in her room to protect her.


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu hakusho, it's characters, or anything affiliated with it. I use the characters and locations for my own personal enjoyment and yours. I own Kitanoe Jyoni. I do use Wikia for information on locations and characters that I may need later. Rating is for language, violence, drug references, and intimacy scenes in future chapters. Please Review! Good and bad are accepted, as I value the opinions of my readers._

**Chapter Six**

Something was drilling into her head on both sides. The pain was excruciating as she opened her eyes and was blinded with sun light. She groaned as her migraine throbbed. Kitanoe sat up slowly and looked to her window to see that Hiei was still there! He was still sleeping, which shocked Kitanoe. What shocked her most was that her bottle of Roxy was on the floor, as if it casually fell from Hiei's pocket.

_That's right! Hiei took them from me! _Realization hit her. She shook with anticipation as she quietly got out of the bed and crawled across the floor with the stealth of a Shinobi, and the silence of death. She swallowed hard when she reached her hand out for the bottle and yelped when a sword was stabbed inches into the floor, stopping her from going further. The sword almost cut the tips of her fingers off, it was that close! Kitanoe looked into the angry crimson eyes that were Hiei's and winced. "I have a bad migraine." She didn't lie. He just continued to glare down at her, not saying a word. She sighed, defeated, and sat up.

She sat there in silence for what seemed liked hours. Hiei finally moved as he opened her bathroom door. She watched him with confused eyes when she realized his intentions. "Hiei, don't!" She jumped up and dashed into the bathroom just as he opened the Roxy bottle and tossed the remaining pills into the toilet. He flushed them with a glare, and to add insult to injury he tossed her the empty bottle. She was shaking and angry. "You're an ass." She cursed him.

"You don't seem as angry as I expected." Was his glorious start to conversation. She was equally just as shocked as he was.

"Maybe I didn't want them as much as I thought, but I'm still pissed off." She turned to leave the bathroom, feeling awkward to even be in there at the same time as Hiei. She caught her reflection in the mirror and noticed most of her bruises were gone. She still looked like a mess, but she figured with a little more healing she would be looking like her normal self in no time.

"We were chased by a Demon World Tunneler. " She jumped when Hiei started talking. It took her longer then she liked to admit that he was explaining what happened the day before. She thought that Tunnelers were just myths; large creatures that could bury themselves into any terrain and create tunnels and earthquakes. Mountains have been destroyed, and oceans have been deepened, due to these monsters. "They chased us into Tourin when the ground collapsed. Kurama woke up first and noticed you were gone. He heard you screaming and had me use my Jagan eye to locate you." He stopped talking after that.

"I don't understand why they want you dead so badly. " Kitanoe leaned against the sink. She thought a minute before walking out and sitting on her bed, remembering the awkwardness of the bathroom. She sighed. "Hiei, I need to ask...You were leading us into those fights before so you could gage my ability but did you purposely lead us to the Tunnelers?" She watched him walk back into her room and lean against the wall.

"If you're asking if I knew we would be ambushed under a collapsed cave, my answer is no. If you're asking if I knew you would be _raped_, then my answer is, again, no." He spat the word out, angry. "I sensed them coming and lead you and Kurama in the opposite direction, but our energies sent out a signal and they followed it. Kurama was the one who told me they were Tunnelers."

Kitanoe nodded and looked at Hiei. There was sadness and shame in her sapphire blue eyes. "Thank you for not telling the others. Thank you, and Kurama too, for saving me. I really hadn't intended for you to actually baby sit." She spoke the last sentence quietly. Hiei stayed quiet and leaned against the wall. After a few minutes of silence he let himself escape out of her open window.

Kitanoe felt relieved that he was gone. She didn't want him to baby sit anymore. He had done his job and she was alive because of it. She stood up and decided to take a shower.

It was noon when she finally left her bedroom. The girls sat at a dining room table with chairs instead of traditional mats, which struck Kitanoe as odd. They drank coffee and laughed at some story Keiko was telling about Yusuke. In the other room sat Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara. They were playing some sort of game on the TV. It wasn't until she approached them that she discovered Kurama was reading instead of participating in the game. "Hey..." She spoke quietly as she stood next to the couch. Kurama looked in her direction just as Yusuke and Kuwabara paused the game they were playing. "Just wanted to say thanks for the other day...and for the medicine you gave Yukina to give to me. "

"You're quite welcome. How are you feeling?" Kurama placed his book down and stood up. He inspected her faded bruises, and saw that her open wounds were almost scars now. Kitanoe took this moment to realize how much taller Kurama was compared to her. She was just under eye level with Hiei, who she discovered was 5'2" without his spiky hair, not 4'10" as Koto stated at the Dark Tournament. She stood at 5 feet, so Kurama was at least 6'3". She could only imagine Kuwabara's height. That human was a giant. "Kitanoe?" Kurama pulled her from her mindless thinking.

"I ache, but I feel just fine." She excluded the part about trying to get the Roxy from under Hiei's watch. She had a feeling Hiei already told him because he had 2 different herb mixtures ready for her to take. One was for the healing and one for the withdrawal symptoms. She thanked him and turned to walk into the kitchen. She made herself some coffee and surprised the girls when she sat down with them at the table. They allowed her to stay quiet and listen to their mindless girl chatter. Keiko would talk about Yusuke and how she wanted to settle down now that she was half way through college. Yukina talked about finding her long lost brother and how she knew she was close to finding the answer to his whereabouts , and how Kazuma had proposed to her. Kitanoe had to interrupt to find out who Kazuma was and nearly choked out her coffee when she was told that that was Kuwabara's first name. Shizuru talked about living in the moment, how she only ever loved one man. Botan whined about not having the time for true love, and that Koenma always kept her busy. She slipped and mentioned how handsome Koenma was when he was in his adult form. Apparently he was using that transformation much more often, especially around Botan.

"Maybe he likes you and is trying to impress you." Kitanoe sipped on the last of her coffee and noticed all the girls were staring at her.

"You really think so, Kitty?" Botan sounded hopeful.

"Think about it. He is always calling for you, keeping you busy. Maybe he doesn't want you to have time for anyone else because he wants to have that time with you. As far as the transformation goes, its obvious. You can't have a relationship with a toddler. Just ask him next time you see him." Kitanoe saw the hope in Botan's eyes.

"What about you? Do you have someone special, Kitty?" Keiko asked as she smiled. Now all of them were listening closely.

Kitanoe blushed slightly but shook her head no. She stood up and placed her coffee mug in the sink and washed it out before drying it and putting it away. She walked down a hall way she hadn't explored yet and realized this must be the side of the house that the boys slept in. She opened a random door and was surprised to see it was a training room full of weapons. She saw swords, daggers, clubs, axes, bow and arrows, everything you could think of. She instantly went with the bow and took it outside.

The sun warmed her cool skin. She closed her eyes as the breeze flowed through her hair. She walked around back and out into the woods when she felt her ankle get shocked harshly. She fell back and landed on her ass, slightly panicked. She had forgotten about Koenma's little house arrest bracelet. _Koenma must have changed the coordinates again._ It had honestly scared her to death considering the amount of electrocution she had just endured from being tortured by that demon. She didn't want to risk getting shocked again, and the fear of it pissed her off as she walked back to the beach.

She looked around and decided to make a homemade disk launching device so she could do some target practice. She found a rock and a plank of drift wood that she placed together to look like a catapult. She then took the time to gather sea shells and had accumulated a decent pile. She placed a large sea shell on the end of the plank closest to the ground and loaded her bow with an arrow. Drawing her arm back she stepped on the high end of the plank, launching the shell into the air. She shot her arrow and watched the direct hit shatter the shell into tiny pieces. She did this several times until she was out of shells and arrows. Kitanoe walked along the beach and started to retrieve her arrows when she could sense the presence of someone following her. She drew her bow and pointed an arrow at Hiei.

Kitanoe frowned and lowered her bow. "I could have shot you."

"Not likely, but you're welcome to try." Hiei smirked.

Kitanoe's excitement sparked a new rush of adrenaline. Finally, she had a challenge. "Don't hold still." She smirked. She fired the arrow and Hiei disappeared to the left. She fired again and he was suddenly at her left. He wasn't dodging in a pattern she could predict and follow. She went to grab another arrow and came up empty.

"Your turn to dodge." Hiei proclaimed as he started to run at Kitanoe.

Out of instinct Kitanoe pulled the string back on the bow. She conjured up a flaming red arrow using her Demon Energy and released the bow string just as Hiei was in front of her. It went straight through his right shoulder and knocked him backwards. He skidded across the sand and landed in the shallow part of the ocean. Kitanoe threw the bow down and ran to him as he started to stand up. His shoulder was bleeding and his shirt was torn beyond repair. "Hiei! I didn't mean to do that!" She stopped when she caught his glare.

"Since when can you conjure weapons?" Was his response.

"I've practiced before, in the past, but that was a long time ago. I still struggle on occasion." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Can you only conjure arrows?"

"As of right now? I have 2 weapons. The arrow you just saw, and the ice sword you watched me kill Felix with. "

"Try something else. " Hiei demanded.

"Now? Right now?" She asked. Hiei nodded. She stared at her palm and concentrated as hard as she could. She ended up trying for several hours due to Hiei's relentess demeanor. Sweat beaded her forehead and she fell to her knees, breathing heavily. "I can't. "

"Try again." Hiei crossed his arms. He was still standing in the shallow ocean. Blood stained his shoulder.

"I can't! What do you want from me!" Kitanoe snapped. She was angry that her calm training session was turning into a brutal beat down.

"Stop making excuses!" Hiei snapped. Kitanoe glared as she stood up. Anger fueled her as an orb of fire encircled with spirals of ice filled her hand. She threw it at Hiei and her eyes widened at the massive explosion she had just caused. Everything went by in a blur as Hiei used his speed to tackle Kitanoe into the sand to cover her from the blast, but the attack proved too powerful as they were flung into the woods with tremendous force.

Kitanoe felt the pain in her ankle as it grasped her leg and soon her whole body. The bracelet had activated and was shooting powerful electric shocks through her body. Panic set in even after she was lifted into Hiei's arms. The world sped passed her vision and soon the electrocution had stopped. She smelled blood and looked up to see Hiei staring down at her. She was shaking and didn't realize she had grabbed his blood stained shirt. Her knuckles were white as she held onto it for dear life. "Why do you keep saving me?"

"Why do you insist on being in danger?" He responded.

There was an awkward silence between them for a few minutes. Kitanoe was still shaking when Hiei walked back to the temple with her in his arms. She didn't question why he seemed to know the exact location of her window when he opened it. He set her down in her room and left in a hurry. Kitanoe was confused until she looked out her window and saw Hiei talking to a frantic Yusuke and Kuwabara by the ocean. Kurama was there too but he looked less worried then the others.

_He must be explaining my stupidity and anger problems_. Kitanoe thought. She frowned at the idea and fell on her bed, exhausted. She knew she had to learn how to control her temper. Her mind began to wonder and thought about leaving her window open in case Hiei wanted to come back. Truth was she liked having him around. He kept her mind focused. It's not like she could day dream or think about anything she pleased when he was around, he could read her mind. She had to be careful, although she was convinced he already knew all the nitty gritty details of her life. She felt safe with him, and would go as far as to say she would be most loyal to him out of the group. She thought about Keiko's question from this afternoon. It was true, she didn't have anyone special.

She smacked herself on the forehead.

_You only work with him. He saved you several times, and he helps you train. You are not crushing on the fire demon. Although he is handsome. He does keep you on your toes. God he pisses me off! Who does he think he is!? What makes him the boss of me! He can't just assess my skills and train me as he pleases! I am a strong independent demon female! Oh, but he did stay in my window all night, and that was nice I guess._ Kitanoe argued back and forth with herself. She felt her ankle throb and she winced as she looked down at it. She sat up and sighed as the wound started to burn and sting. She was in shock up until now and hadn't noticed it. She also hadn't noticed Hiei was sitting in her window again.

"How long have you been there!?" Kitanoe nearly fell out of her bed.

"Long enough to hear you argue with yourself."

Kitanoe blushed deeply and was speechless. She watched Hiei climb through her window the rest of the way and close it when he was inside her room. She watched him walk over to the bed and sit next to her. He glared when he looked at her ankle. "Tell me again why Koenma put that device on you?"

"To keep me from leaving..."

"Hn." Hiei placed a hand on the burns and she winced measurably. Being the S class fire demon that he was, Hiei was able to draw the heat out of the burns. Kitanoe had to blink twice and wasn't sure of what she was seeing.

"Are you...Are you healing me!?"

"Hush, female." Hiei glared at her. "If you say a word to anyone, I will slice out your tongue and feed it to you. " He threatened as he pulled his hand back.

"How?" Kitanoe was stunned.

Hiei shrugged as he leaned against her headboard.

"Don't shrug, tell me!" Kitanoe frowned.

"I'm half Koorime. My mother was an ice maiden." Hiei's tone made it clear he wasn't going any further with the conversation.

Kitanoe stared at him for a few long minutes before looking down at her ankle. He had done a great job. Her ankle wasn't even numb or tingling. "Thank you." She looked back at the male fire demon when a nagging thought came to mind. _Yukina is an ice maiden from Koorime looking for her lost brother...and they have the same eyes...Oh God, Hiei is Yukina's brother!_ Her eyes grew wide and was about to say something when Hiei stopped her.

"Say that out loud. It also warrants the harsh removal of your tongue." Hiei glared. He was always glaring.

Kitanoe sighed and boldly laid her head on Hiei's shoulder. She felt him tense up, but she didn't care. He was, after all, in HER bed. As far as she was concerned he was fair game to be used as a pillow. She didn't realize how exhausted she was until she closed her eyes. The sun was setting and created a beautiful orange sky. She jumped when there was a knock on her door. Hiei was still in her bed, sitting next to her with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. It was also dark outside.

_How long was I asleep?_

_About 3 hours_. Hiei answered her telepathically.

Kitanoe yawned and got up off the bed to answer her bedroom door and was not surprised to see Botan. Botan was smiling as ever and blushed when she saw Hiei. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Was I interrupting you? I'll just come back!" Botan turned to leave when Kitanoe grabbed her hand.

"Nothing happened! I fell asleep! Hiei keeps my nightmares away...What did you need?" Kitanoe yawned again.

"I wanted to tell you that dinner is ready. Keiko's cooking is absolutely the best, you must try it!" Botan was able to sneak a quick glance at Hiei. "And maybe we can have a little girl talk?" She giggled.

"Yeah..okay. We'll be out there in a minute." Kitanoe shut the door and looked at Hiei. "You're eating too right? Don't make me face the talkative populace alone."

Hiei smirked as he followed her out of the room and into the roar of happy company.

_A/N:: Tried to make this chapter as smooth as possible. I've edited it 3 times and it's still not as smooth as I'd like. I am surprised by all the hits I have with this fic, and I am grateful to those who have reviewed and favorited my story! Please review!_


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu hakusho, it's characters, or anything affiliated with it. I use the characters and locations for my own personal enjoyment and yours. I own Kitanoe Jyoni. I do use Wikia for information on locations and characters that I may need later. Rating is for language, violence, drug references, and intimacy scenes in future chapters. Please Review! Good and bad are accepted, as I value the opinions of my readers._

**Chapter 7**

Two weeks had passed since Kitanoe, Kurama, and Hiei were ambushed in Demon World. Kitanoe had fully recovered and had spent her evenings training with Hiei, and sometimes Kurama. Kuwabara would try and help her since he was a self-proclaimed "Master" of the weapon conjuring arts, but he never made any sense to her. Yusuke had gone to Demon World on his own to assess the turmoil and had returned days later with news that nothing had changed other then the fact that there were more noticeable riots.

Koenma appeared that afternoon, transformed in his dashing older form, holding a folder. He approached Kitanoe who was sitting at the dining room table with the girls. Kitanoe noticed Botan's blush and turned to look at Koenma as he laid the folder in front of her. "I'm sorry this is coming on such short notice. An artifact has been found in Gandara. It's very powerful, and can cause Demons to act out and go crazy from power lust. We think this is why the riots are happening more so in some areas. "

Kitanoe stared at the folder and opened it, unaware that all eyes were on her. She munched away on her apple when she came across a picture of the artifact and almost choked.

"Yes, I see you recognize it." Koenma stated.

Kitanoe swallowed her apple and stared at Koenma as if he has grown 3 heads. "Lord Koenma, I sold this, YEARS ago, to a human named-"

"-Gonzo Tarukane. I know. Toguro killed him after Yusuke and Kuwabara saved Yukina from his compound." Koenma seemed more irritable today then usual. "He in turn sold it to a B class Demon who is taking advantage of the artifact's power now that he has a reason to create an army. This item-"

"-Is called the Scepter of 7 winds. I know." Kitanoe glared at Koenma. "It can drive Demons insane just by waving it. It has the power for temporary mind control. It can cause a Demon to feel what the controller feels and if the controller hates it's Demon Lords, then so will the controlled."

"You have 3 days to get this item back." Koenma added.

Kitanoe went wide eyed as the girls gasped. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei stood up and approached Koenma with malice. "After what she just went through, you expect her to go back and take care of a B class Demon and retrieve an artifact with tremendous power!?" Yusuke snapped. "I was just there, there is no way she is going alone!"

"Well I'm not sending you 3! That just makes her more of a target!" Koenma glared at the Demon Lords. "And I'm not sending Kuwabara because he isn't familiar with Demon World. If she does what I tell her too she can do this mission solo!"

"There must be another way. Please reconsider." Kurama's voice was thin and was losing his patience with the Spirit World ruler.

"She knew what she signed up for when she accepted the job!"

"I'll do it." Kitanoe cut into the conversation. "Under the condition you remove this stupid bracelet."

"This isn't up for negotiation!" Koenma was fuming.

"Then throw me in jail and find yourself a new treasure hunter." Kitanoe leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed. She had Koenma by the balls, and he knew it. The room was beyond quiet. No one was breathing. Koenma sighed and slumped into the chair next to Botan.

"If you bring me the item in 3 days, I will remove the bracelet."

The smile on Kitanoe's face lit up the whole room. She stood up and nearly ran to her room with excitement and came back out wearing black cargo pants and a black tank top. She had the enchanted bag tied to her waist and had a small pack over her shoulder. She had her hair up as well which was unusual. "Open a portal, Oh Tyrant Ruler!"

_You're a glutton for punishment_. She heard Hiei say in her head. She winced and she felt a small pain in her heart. Hiei knew it, and Kitanoe refused to say it out loud, but she had developed feelings for Hiei over the past 2 weeks. However, she felt 3 days in Demon World was well worth her freedom, and Hiei above all others would understand. Koenma explained the area and gave her all the information of the Demon that he had. He gave her a map and sent her off into the woods, where she originally went with Hiei and Kurama, to the portal.

Truth be told, she was scared shitless when she saw the portal. The heat that radiated from it was immense as it swirled like a whirlpool in front of her. She took a step forward when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and was glad to see Hiei. The look in his crimson red eyes sent chills down her spine. "Hiei...I need to do this...Not only will this help settle things down in Demon World, but Koenma will give me my freedom. I need it..." She felt the need to explain herself out loud.

It all happened so fast.

Her hair was suddenly down. Hiei held her face with both of his hands and his lips were on hers. They were warmer and softer then she thought they would be. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his shoulders. She felt her back on the cool grass as Hiei laid her down. Kitanoe's heart was racing as Hiei broke away from the kiss and pinned her hands to the cool earth. There was a primal need in his eyes that caused Kitanoe to gasp, and her lips parted just enough for Hiei to kiss her again and slide his tongue inside her warm mouth. She moaned and tried to wrap her arms around him again, but was firmly pinned down. Passion started to turn to panic until Hiei broke the kiss and released her wrists. He nuzzled her neck and she could hear him breathe heavily. She threw her arms around him to reassure herself that she could move.

"I'm not him...I won't hurt you." Hiei spoke softly into her ear and nibbled on it. The amount of restraint he was using just to be gentle was astounding.

"I know...I know." She whispered back. Hiei kissed her again and just as her heart started racing, he pulled away.

"I'll see you in 3 days." He helped her to her feet before he disappeared.

Kitanoe stood alone, awestruck, and confused as to what just happened. _He kissed me! Then said he would see me in 3 days. Glad to know he has some faith in me after all. _She blushed as she remembered the passion filled kiss and brought her hand up to her lips. She rolled her eyes at herself_. Oh how cliche'! Just jump in the portal, get the stupid Scepter and return. Piece of cake_. She coached herself and jumped right into the portal.

Kitanoe landed on one knee when she exited the portal. Demon World was quiet where she was. She reached into her pocket for the map and instructions Koenma had given her, and he instructed her not to open it until she got through the portal. For whatever reason, she assumed, he didn't want Hiei to know what was going on. It was no secret that Hiei could read minds. She read the instructions several times and couldn't figure out what the big deal was.

_1. You will land in Gandara, just outside the Demons strong hold._

_2. This Demon is a B class water Demon named Marik._

_3. If you can sneak in and out, great! Only, you need to kill Marik in order to break the mind control spell on the demons he already controls, otherwise they will never stop looking for Yusuke and the others._

_4. Grab the Scepter of 7 winds. You need to do this in 3 days or else the mind control becomes permanent. _

"Okay. No big deal. I'm a B class demon and so is this Marik. As far as I am concerned we are evenly matched." She shrugged and jumped high into the nearest tree. With stealth and silence she jumped from tree to tree until she was in front of a stone castle. Her heart dropped. "He said strong hold...not fortress...I was ready to face 1 demon, not an army!" Kitanoe sat in the tree for what seemed like hours. She would scan the area for any movement and keep track of the guards. At nightfall she finally caught her break and crept inside, undetected.

She slipped inside an empty room and laid low in case one of the guards walked passed the door. She looked at her map again. The fortress was made of 5 squares and right now she was in the large outer square. She needed to be in the first inner square. Kitanoe memorized the map after a few quick minutes before she slipped it back into her pocket. She dashed out of the room and followed the wall until she came to the entrance of the fourth square.

"Who the hell are you!?" A large burly demon stared down at Kitanoe.

"Oh, I'm just here to deliver a new treasure to Marik. No one was outside on guard so I let myself in. Lovely place you have here." Kitanoe lied through her teeth like a smart ass.

The demon just glared down at her. "Oh yeah? What is this treasure?"

Kitanoe just smiled. "Oh, it's for Marik's eyes only. I am under strict orders. Do you mind letting me pass or showing me the way?" Kitanoe took the time to notice that this was the only demon blocking her way, and the entrance to the third square was conveniently across the room.

"Just hold it right there Missy, I'm not falling for any tricks!" The demon placed his ugly blue hands on his hips like a diva. He had bright red hair and purple eyes. He was a colorful sight for sure. "Marik would have told me if he had a special delivery, I'm one of his head commanders!"

"Oh? Even if it was a surprise for his head commanders? Marik isn't the type of demon to just ruin a reward for his loyal crew, now is he?" Kitanoe taunted.

"A surprise, eh? Don't mind if I just steal it from you then, Missy!" He reached down for her enchanted bag but Kitanoe swiped his arm away with a glare.

"You're wasting my precious time. Either allow me to pass or I can kill you and walk around your ugly, stupid ass."

The demon just bellowed a laugh. Kitanoe summoned her ice sword and quickly removed the demons head. She stopped the rolling head with her foot and set the body ablaze while melting the sword off her arm. She had to cover her tracks or else she was going to get caught. Once the clean up job was done she headed straight for the third square. She found it odd that the square was empty entirely. At the second square, Kitanoe found herself face to face with over 20 demon guards. In her hurry to leave, she had completely forgotten to bring a material weapon from Human World, and her ice sword used too much energy to continue conjuring it.

Two of the demons charged at her at once and Kitanoe used very little energy to conjure a red demon sword, much like Kuwabara's spirit sword, in an act of desperation. "Ah ha! No one tell Kuwabara, but he just saved my ass!" Kitanoe smirked as she charged into the hoard of demons. They weren't very powerful, but the numbers were over whelming.

She panted heavily as she saw the final demon fall. Her arm had 3 long claw marks gashed down to the bone. Bodies were every where and the rotting stench of death filled her nose. She heard a clapping in the door way of square one and looked up to see who she assumed was Marik. He had pale blonde, almost white, hair. His eyes were such a pale blue that they were almost white. His skin was dark and he was covered with tribal tattoos.

"So, you're Koenma's little treasure hunter. How hilarious. He sent a female to do his bidding. Tell me, where are his other detectives? The males? Do they not have what it takes to face this war?"

Kitanoe glared at him. "They didn't have time to take out the trash. They have better things to do."

Marik laughed. "Trash? Well that's rude. Didn't anyone ever teach you the proper manners to use when you're a guest in someone's home?"

"Sorry. Lonely forgotten childhood." Kitanoe crossed her arms. "Hand over the scepter, Marik, and I will make your death quick."

"Such big talk for such a tiny female. I like the way you handle business. Why don't you join me and be my second?"

"Not interested."

"Very well." Marik used his left hand to reach for the scepter behind his back. Kitanoe was mesmerized by it's beauty. It was the most beautiful silver, and the orb was many shades of blue, purple, and green. She almost couldn't take her eyes off of it. She remembered holding it before she gave it to Tarukane. Had he not given her 5 million for it she probably would have killed him to get it back." Ah, I see you like my little treasure? Do you want to hold it?" He offered it to her.

_It's a trap. Don't go near it. He'll use it against you_. She noted to herself. "It is beautiful, but I have a job to do." Kitanoe conjured up her demon sword with some difficulty. Her energy was almost gone. _If only they had trained me harder! I would be powerful enough to handle this ass hole! _She went wide eyed. Marik was trying to control her mind. He was making her think negative about her team. She closed her eyes and refocused. _Kurama trains you and heals you. Yusuke is like a brother to you. Kuwabara taught you how to use a freakin' energy sword for crying out loud. Hiei trains you. He pushes you and believes in you. Hiei even likes you. He kissed you. _The thought made her blush. She opened her eyes and glared at Marik. "Your mind games don't work on me. Now fight me like a Demon and let's get this show on the road!"

"My, my, so rude." Marik started to twirl the scepter in his hand. It was moving faster and faster when finally Marik slammed it down on the ground. A wave of water came barreling towards Kitanoe. She jumped as high as she could and swung her demon sword at Marik. He caught it between 2 fingers. Kitanoe's eyes widened as he threw her across the room and destroyed her sword by dissipating the energy. The room had at least 6 inches of water in it from Marik's last attack, and now Kitanoe was soaked. "Tsk. As a water demon I can control the element regardless if there is water available or not. Now that you're wet from head to toe, I'm afraid this fight will be cut short."

Kitanoe frowned as she stood up. "What-AH!" Kitanoe screamed as she was now in mid air. She looked at Marik who was smirking. His hand was raised and she realized he was able to control her body. He brought his hand down as Kitanoe came crashing down to the floor. She couldn't move as he held her under water. She held her breath and tried not to panic. Marik laughed as he raised her above the water. She coughed and sputtered, gasping for air. Marik threw her back down and continued the onslaught for what seemed like hours. Kitanoe was positive her already mangled arm was broken.

She knew her time was running out. She had spent most of day 1 just looking at the damn fortress and day 2 was coming to an end. She needed to end this fast, or this will all have been for nothing. She was slammed back down into the water again when she was struck with an idea, but she would need to use her life energy to do it. She concentrated hard, feeling light headed from lack of oxygen. She emitted a strong heat until her body was consumed by fire. Marik stared in disbelief as his water started to evaporate. Kitanoe was able to dry herself and dodge Marik's next wave of water.

"Smart move, but you can't stay out of the water forever!" Marik laughed.

Kitanoe jumped again and dove straight for Marik. She conjured her ice sword and stabbed him straight through his neck. He dropped the scepter as they both fell to the ground. She laid there struggling to breathe, strategically landing on her back so that she wouldn't drown. She could hear Marik drowning in his own blood before the room was silent. She no longer felt his energy, but she didn't have the energy to move. Her arm was killing her and her lungs were begging for the air they'd been deprived. She barely had the life energy left to keep her heart beating. She had risked death when she killed Marik with her ice sword.

Kitanoe struggled to stand up as she grabbed the scepter and lazily placed it in her enchanted bag. She stumbled and fell back against the wall. Her vision was spotted as her body threatened lights-out. "If I come across any more demons while I escape here, I'm done for. I have 18 hours to get back to that fucking portal." She cursed. She stood on weak legs and limped along the walls. She fell several times and had to hide at one point for 3 hours because of the guard at the front gates.

After hours of pain and struggling she finally stared at the portal to Human World. She took a step inside and blacked out before she landed. The portal closed as she laid in the grassy comfort of the woods behind the ocean front temple. She was pale and close to death with the enchanted bag clutched tightly in her white knuckled hands, with 45 minutes to spare. Her last thought before she fell unconcious was that Koenma better be grateful, and she prayed that he kept his word.

She prayed she'd stay alive to see it through.


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu hakusho, it's characters, or anything affiliated with it. I use the characters and locations for my own personal enjoyment and yours. I own Kitanoe Jyoni. I do use Wikia for information on locations and characters that I may need later. Rating is for language, violence, drug references, and intimacy scenes in future chapters. Please Review! Good and bad are accepted, as I value the opinions of my readers._

**Chapter 8**

Kitanoe felt herself drowning. She couldn't breathe. She was clawing and gasping for air when she opened her eyes and saw that she was in her bed. She was dripping in sweat and couldn't catch her breath. Her arm was heavily bandaged from where someone had tended to her injuries. She felt herself having a panic attack and curled into a fetal position on her bed. It only lasted half an hour, but it had felt like days. She was shaking and pale as she took a deep inhale of clean air. That was the first nightmare she's had in 3 weeks.

_Where's Hiei? _She sat up and felt light headed. Her stomach turned and she sprinted to the bathroom and wretched until her ribs hurt. She was suddenly feeling alone. She couldn't sense anyone in the temple and she felt the panic rise up again. She tried to shake the feeling as she started the shower. She gagged when she removed the bandages from her arm. _How long was I out!?_ She wanted to scream but her throat hurt. She could see the wounds festering but was glad to see it was no longer broken. She took what felt like the best shower of her life and scrubbed her arm vigorously to clear it of the infection_. If anyone can hear me, please answer. _She prayed silently and received silence in return. She dried off slowly and dressed in what Keiko and Botan called 'Stay in and watch the soaps!' clothes. She shook her head at the idea of fake television drama. She was just fine with sweat pants and a loose fitting shirt and calling it just that. She walked out into the main room and realized it was dark outside. The clock on the wall told her it was only 4:30 in the morning. _Everyone must be asleep_. She pondered.

The silence was killing her. She eventually made coffee and sat down at the table. Koenma suddenly appeared next to her, startling her so bad that she fell backwards and spilled her coffee, also breaking the glass mug. She used her injured arm to break her fall and yelped. Koenma was equally startled. "Why are you up so early!?" He hissed in a whisper.

Kitanoe wasn't even sure she could talk until she snapped at Koenma. "I live here! I can get up whenever I damn well please!" Her voice was a rough whisper, and her arm was killing her. Her throat felt raw as she spoke. "What happened?" She asked Koenma as she started to pick up the large pieces of glass. She was shocked when Koenma wet a kitchen towel with hot water and helped her clean the coffee mess.

"You need to re-bandage your arm." Koenma answered in a whisper as he looked at her raw arm. "The others should be back shortly. I sent them to Demon World to clean up the riot mess. Things have calmed down a great deal since you've been back. " He placed the kitchen towel in the empty sink. Kitanoe disposed of the glass and fetched more bandages. She sat back at the table after Koenma picked up the fallen chair. "I removed the bracelet." He added.

Kitanoe stared at him with wide eyes. "Did you really!?" She shouted.

"SH!" Koenma hushed her. They were quiet, listening to see if they heard anyone waking up. After a few minutes of silence, Koenma continued. "Yes, it's removed. However it's limited to Human World right now. Demon World will only be accessible to you if I send you there. You were almost dead when they found you. Hiei couldn't even read your mind. What happened?"

Kitanoe frowned. "I remember Marik. I remember drowning, and then being on fire. I had to use my life energy to kill Marik and I passed out at the portal. I guess I fell in and ended up on the other side."

Koenma nodded. "Your Demon energy hasn't even returned to you yet. You've been out for days. I couldn't even sense that you were awake when I came in."

"Yeah...I had to use a lot of energy just to make it to the portal alive."

"Don't mention Marik's name and try not to think about it." Koenma spoke hastily. Kitanoe stared at him with a confused look on her face when she heard someone enter the temple.

"You're awake!" Yusuke nearly yelled from the door way.

Koenma and Kitanoe jumped. "SHH!" They hushed him, although Kitanoe was excited to see him. Kurama followed after Yusuke and Hiei after him. Kuwabara just yawned and went to his room after a quick wave.

"Your arm looks like it got chewed on..." Yusuke said with grimace as he sat down next to Koenma.

Kurama sat next to Kitanoe and inspected her arm before applying one of his famous healing plant mixtures and bandaging her arm with the supplies she had previously gathered. "Yeah it was infected so I had to scrub it while I was in the shower. How long was I out?"

"8 days." Hiei answered. Kitanoe noticed he was leaned against the wall instead of the table with everyone else. He was watching Kurama's handy work.

Kitanoe went through the details of her mission again without mentioning Marik's name. They all listened intently and she was happy Kuwabara opted to go back to bed when she started to tell them about her Demon energy sword. Yusuke leaned back in the chair when she finished talking. He looked dead serious. "Well whatever that artifact was, it's not a problem anymore. Koenma has it locked away somewhere. It's weird, most of the riots stopped but no one remembers what happened."

"Yes, and it was much easier to determine who the riot starters were after the mind control was broken." Kurama interjected. "Those who had no qualms returned to their normal lives, and those who oppose us continued causing chaos."

Kitanoe nodded as she looked at her newly bandaged arm. A lot seemed to have happened in 8 days. _That explains the nightmares. Hiei wasn't here to stop them_. She looked over at him and remembered their last encounter. She wondered if any of that changed. She sighed and decided she needed more coffee. The sun was starting to rise. She yawned when she sat back down. "So what's the agenda? What's next?"

"YOU are staying here until your demon energy recovers." Koenma declared. "I will monitor what happens in Demon World for the next week, so unless the Apocalypse is happening I won't need any of you any time soon."

Kitanoe nodded. She was more exhausted then she should be for a person having slept for 8 days. Kurama answered for her. " You haven't fully recovered yet. You should feel lucky. We didn't expect you to be up and walking for another few weeks."

Kitanoe stared at him tiredly. "Is that because my life energy hasn't fully returned, either?"

"Yes. The fact that you're alive is astonishing." Kurama tied the bandage on her arm. "It will take a few weeks for you to get back to full strength."

"Well, I need to head back." Koenma stood up. "I have a lot of paperwork to do regarding your missions. If anything strange happens, Kitanoe, report to me immediately." And he was gone.

Suddenly, Kitanoe noticed, all 3 sets of Demon eyes were on her. "What? I have no idea what he meant. Did you?" She was genuinely worried. Koenma was acting weird about this.

"No. Usually he tells me to be on the look out but this time he chose you." Yusuke mused. "Did anything weird happen while you were in Demon World?"

Kitanoe frowned. "To be honest I don't quite remember everything. I remember the big details but nothing is coming to mind that would have Koenma worry." _Except the fact he doesn't want you to know about Marik. _She thought to herself. She could always feel when her mind was being read and apparently Hiei was still having difficulty due to her weakened state.

They heard a yawn in the doorway. Glancing over she saw Keiko in pink pajama pants and a long sleeved pink pajama shirt. She glared at Yusuke and he flinched away. _They must be fighting again_. Kitanoe rolled her eyes when Keiko noticed her. "Oh! You're finally awake! I was just about to make breakfast for everyone, are you hungry?"

"Uh...no, but I haven't eaten in eleven days I would guess, so I need to try and eat. Do you need help?" Kitanoe tried to stand up and was instantly back down in her chair. She was light headed and felt like all of her energy was leaving her again_. Oh, not good_.

They were at her side in an instant. "What the hell was that! Her energy dropped off the radar!" That was definitely Yusuke.

"She's near death again. Hiei, can you read her mind yet?" Kurama placed his hand on her forehead. "She's burning up."

"Well she is half fire demon." Yusuke pointed out.

Kurama nodded. "Yes, fire demons run hot, but not this hot."

"I still can't read her mind." She heard Hiei say.

"What's going on?" Keiko's voice faded into the background.

Kitanoe blacked out with a fever of 116.

* * *

><p>Kitanoe opened her eyes to see darkness. She was in a stone room. She stood weakly and attempted to walk forward. She was jerked back by something around her wrists and ankles. <em>What the hell!? <em>She panicked as she stared at the prison shackles that confined her. She didn't see any light, and as her vision adjusted to the darkness she realized she didn't see an exit either. Her heart raced when water started seeping up from the stone floors and filling the room. She pulled and jerked as hard as she could on the chains and they didn't move.

_Wake up_

She started punching the walls to break the chains loose, and it didn't work. The water quickly rose up to her waist.

_Wake up!_

She bloodied her hands trying to climb up the wall but the water washed over her entire body. She held her breath, and her lungs began to burn. Suddenly she was on fire and her whole body was burning. It was too hot!

_Wake up!_

She heard Marik laughing. She opened her eyes to see the scepter in his dark hands. His arms were crossed. She closed her eyes tightly and screamed under the water as he charged for her.

* * *

><p>"WAKE UP!" The voice screamed at her. She snapped her eyes open and fell off the side of her bed. She scrambled and shuffled until her back was against the wall. The panic in her eyes disappeared slowly when she saw she was in her room. She stared into Hiei's crimson eyes and saw an emotion she had never seen in them.<p>

"I don't need your pity, just leave!" She hugged herself and she didn't recognize her voice.

"I couldn't stop it. The nightmare. What happened?"

"I don't know...Why can't you use your Jagan eye on me anymore?" She looked at him with pitiful, scared, sapphire blue eyes. She was shaking. "I don't know what's going on!" She didn't want to cry in front of Hiei but tears pricked the edged of her eyes.

Hiei was at her side instantly feeling her forehead. "Damn it." He cursed. Within seconds Kurama was in the room. "She has another fever."

"Wait, so you can use your telepathy on Kurama?" Kitanoe started shaking harder. They said she had a fever but she was freezing.

They were quiet as Hiei lifted Kitanoe in his arms and placed her back on the bed. Kurama repeated Hiei's steps in checking for fever. "I'll be right back." He dashed out of the room.

"Hiei..." Kitanoe looked over at the fire Demon. "Koenma told me not to say anything, but my nightmares are about it; the details of my mission. I think it has something to do with my condition."

"Why would that Tyrant tell you to keep your mission encounter a secret?" Hiei's patience were thin.

Kitanoe explained about Koenma's strict instructions, and the strange request he had before the meeting in the dining room. "The Demon's name is Marik. He tried to control me with the scepter-"

"He sent you after an S class demon!?" Hiei was fuming.

Kitanoe gasped. "No...No, he was a B class demon. Koenma told me so. "

"He lied."

"Why would he lie to me!" The tears started pouring from her eyes.

"He needed someone to carry out the mission who wouldn't attract to much attention." Kurama entered the room. Hiei had already filled Kurama in.

"He tried to turn me against you! He tried to fucking drown me! He was toying me with the entire time! What if he's not even dead!" Kitanoe was having a melt down.

"He's dead." Hiei answered simply.

"We can obtain the death report if need be." Kurama sat on the bed and coaxed Kitanoe to open her mouth so that he could give her the medicine. "You have a rare Demon infection. It's slowing down the healing process substantially. I informed Yusuke to summon Koenma. Immediately." The last word sent chills down Kitanoe's spine as Kurama spoke it with pure venom.

"I was expendable, end of story!" Kitanoe fell back onto her pillows.

Kurama left the room without another comment. Hiei shocked Kitanoe when he got into bed next to her and wrapped his arm around her. She soon understood why as she went into spasms of cold chills. The medicine Kurama was giving her was to reduce her fever. "Did you tell him t-to leave?" She stuttered out. She felt him nod.

After awhile, he randomly spoke."It's pissing me off." He mumbled into her hair.

"W-What?" Kitanoe shook, confused.

"Not being able to read your mind."

Kitanoe actually laughed. She snuggled into him and was fighting sleep like her life depended on it when a knock came at the door. She groaned and was thankful when Hiei was the one to get up and answer the door. She overheard the conversation.

"We need to have the meeting in here. I'm not moving her." Hiei spoke. She then heard Yusuke's voice.

"Shouldn't we have the meeting without her? I have a feeling there's going to be a lot of yelling." She heard a fist hit the wall. "And I might just kick his ass."

"She deserves to know why Koenma played her for a fool." Hiei argued.

"Hey are those two decent?" Kuwabara walked in on the conversation. "What's the deal here, are you two like dating or something? You've been obsessed-"

"Say another word, and I'll kill you." Hiei cut in. Kitanoe assumed his sword was at Kuwabara's throat and it made her smile.

"Hey whoa, let's save some of the anger for Koenma, okay?" Yusuke was grinning.

In a matter of minutes, the four Spirit Detectives were gathered in her room. Koenma was nervously leaning against the wall away from the others, and Botan was there as well, sitting on the bed with Kitanoe. Kitanoe wasn't able to sit up on her own, but Botan needed to be apart of the meeting and offered to help. She really wanted Hiei next to her, but she kept that bit of info to herself.

"Start talking." Kitanoe demanded. All eyes were on Koenma. The tension in the room was thick.

Koenma sighed. "It's complicated, and I apologize for any confusion. It's true, I hid the information from everyone until Kitanoe was in Demon World. I couldn't risk Hiei reading her mind and sabotaging the mission. What she was able to do brought peace for the time being, and I don't regret sending her. I did lie about the class of Demon Marik was, but I knew she wouldn't even try if I told her the truth." He slumped down in the chair. "My father wants me to have the SDF arrest her, immediately."

Kitanoe was shaking from anger and fear. "Why?"

"He is tired of me reforming criminals. He is eager to see Demons suffer. Long story short, my father hates Demons, and you were the icing on the cake. He wanted me to make an example of you, but I needed you too much. Your skills are unlike anyone else's. I thought sending you on this mission would prove something to him but I have yet to hear any word about it. "

"So what if King Enma doesn't care that she stopped Marik and retrieved the scepter? What then?" Botan asked softly.

"Hopefully he will pitch a tantrum and get over it. I am more concerned with him starting a war between Spirit World and Demon World." Koenma answered bluntly. He looked at Yusuke. "You remember the Chapter Black tape? Well, something like that could potentially happen again. My father is anti-Demon, 100%. If it was in his power he would destroy Demon World."

"Arresting me isn't going to fix the problem." Kitanoe spoke weakly.

"I know that. Which is why I had you prove yourself worthy. I will know something in the next few weeks. Until then you should focus on getting better. That's no ordinary infection you have, I looked into it before coming here. My father had the SDF infect you with something deadly before we could find you. I don't know what it is yet but Kurama is helping me solve the mystery. They want you to die slowly."

Kitanoe nodded. She was scared to death. She listened to the rest of the meeting and she watched everyone leave her room with the exception of Hiei. She looked at him with defeated eyes. " No matter what I do, life is going to keep kicking me down."

"Do you keep standing back up?"

"Well, yeah but-"

"Then that's all that matters." Hiei walked over and sat down on the bed next to her. She was shaking and cold to the touch.

"Why does he want ME dead so badly? Why have the SDF go out of their way to poison me? They could have just taken me in, I was unconscious." She laid her head on Hiei's shoulder.

"He's making an example of you. You should be grateful to even be alive." Hiei sounded harsh, but she shrugged it off. "Kurama is no fool. He knows the SDF has no interest in killing Demons off this way. This is just a rouse to buy them some time. Something bigger is coming."

"I'm so tired..."

"Then sleep."

"I can't..."

"Night terrors?"

Kitanoe nodded. All she wanted to do was cry in bed and sleep. Hiei adjusted them so that they were both laying down and he held her close to his chest. She felt him kiss her forehead. She felt so safe and protected, and allowed herself to close her eyes for a moment. She was asleep within seconds.

* * *

><p>Kurama entered the room late that afternoon holding a syringe. Hiei glared at the Fox Demon and held Kitanoe protectively. "Hiei, I've never seen you so taken with someone before." Kurama smiled as he sat on the edge of the bed.<p>

"What the hell is that?" Hiei snapped as he looked at the syringe filled with metallic blue liquid.

"The blood tests I drew a few days ago returned. She does in fact have the infection created by the SDF. It's not currently named but Koenma is calling it DemonX. This is the only known antidote."

"How do you know what's in that!?" Hiei was beyond pissed off as it was but it was more out of concern for Kitanoe.

"Because I created it. Hiei, if you don't let me give this to her, she will die."

Hiei growled and removed himself from the bed. His fists were clenched tightly as he watched Kurama clean a spot on her arm and prepare the syringe. Kurama quickly plunged the needle into her arm and injected the metallic looking medication.

Kitanoe's eyes shot open and she screamed bloody murder.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Sorry this was a confusing chapter. Hopefully it will be explained more in the next. Also, sorry for the long delay in posting this chapter, I have the flu and I feel like crap. Please review! You have no idea how excited and inspired I get when my phone blows up with notifications from Fanfiction. Thanks!_


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu hakusho, it's characters, or anything affiliated with it. I use the characters and locations for my own personal enjoyment and yours. I own Kitanoe Jyoni. I do use Wikia for information on locations and characters that I may need later. Rating is for language, violence, drug references, and intimacy scenes in future chapters. Please Review! Good and bad are accepted, as I value the opinions of my readers._

**Chapter 9 (A/N: Intimate scenes in this chapter)**

"Rose Whip!" Kurama quickly turned a rose into a brutal weapon and lashed out at Kitanoe. She dodged his moves gracefully and landed after a back flip. Kurama was actually trying to hit her. "Let's take a break." He smiled politely. Kitanoe grinned as she headed over to Kurama from across the beach. "You're much stronger then you were when we met." The fox Demon noted.

"I would be dead if it hadn't been for you." Kitanoe sat down on the blazing hot sand and caught the water bottle Kurama tossed to her. "You need to make some kind of living by healing Humans and Demons."

"I prefer a quiet life." Kurama sat down next to her. He was dressed unusual today compared to his normal attire. He was shirtless and in emerald green swim trunks.

"Being a Demon Lord can't be very quiet." Kitanoe downed her water in one shot and placed the empty plastic bottle next to her.

"I am amazed by your progress. Two days ago you could barely walk, and now you're out here training and giving me a hard time." Kurama teased. "How are you and Hiei?"

Kitanoe blushed. "I don't know what you're talking about." She glanced over at Kurama and noticed his amused expression. "Okay, so I have a thing for him."

"He is quite taken with you as well." Kurama looked back towards the ocean.

"What? How do you know?" Kitanoe was suddenly intrigued. "I know he sometimes sleeps in my bed and keeps away the night terrors now that he can use telepathy on me again-"

Kurama interrupted her. "Do you honestly think Hiei would do that for everyone? Or anyone?"

"Well, no..."

"He's kissed you?"

"How did you find out!?" Kitanoe was fifty shades of red.

Kurama laughed. "He told me. You'd be surprised how much he talks when he gets to know someone."

Kitanoe stared at her toes which she absent mindedly tucked into the sand. Two days ago Kurama had injected her with that antidote. It worked wonders but her body went through hell to accommodate it. Thankfully Kurama won the inner DemonX battle against the SDF. Her body temperature ran high to burn off the infection and then it reset itself. She was stronger and healthier then she ever had been. She remembered waking up to the pain in her arm, and seeing Hiei nearly attack Kurama. She only saw Hiei when she was tired enough to sleep, and he would keep away the night terrors. They hadn't even kissed since that first time before her mission.

"Does he regret it?" Kitanoe looked at Kurama. "It's okay, you can tell me. I would rather know so things aren't awkward."

"That's something you need to ask Hiei." Kurama stood up. "Ready to continue?" Kitanoe nodded and stood up. She dusted the sand off her shorts and chased after the Fox.

Hiei was sitting in Kitanoe's window, watching her training session. He was impressed with her progress, however he felt Kurama talked too damn much. He could hear Yusuke and Keiko arguing a few rooms over. Kuwabara was with his sister at Genkai's temple today. He heard something hit the wall and decided that Keiko had tried to throw another vase at Yusuke again.

_When will that Human girl learn that he can't stop being a Demon. Asking him to trade everything he knows and lives for for a domestic ordinary Human life is a death sentence. _

Hiei kicked his feet out the window and started walking towards Kurama. He had his hands casually in his pockets and stopped to watch the show. Kitanoe was also learning how to conserve energy and she was getting better at not having to use most or all of it for one attack. She could use her ice sword all day long now if she pleased. Kurama's rose whip wrapped around her ankle and spun her to the sand. She skidded across the hot granules and stopped at Hiei's feet. The amused look he was giving her fueled her anger. She grabbed the rose whip from her ankle and froze it, breaking it off. She used her other hand to grab what was left and set the vine on fire. She watched it disintegrate all the way up to Kurama's hand.

"Well, I think we're done for the day." Kurama approached Kitanoe and Hiei. He was covered with sweat but had a smile on his face.

Kitanoe smiled back. "Thanks for the training tips, Fox boy."

"I see you've adopted Yusuke's nick name for me. Hiei, what brings you out in the day light?" Kurama teased.

Hiei crossed him arms. "It was either this or listen to that whipped detective argue with his woman."

"Again?" Kitanoe couldn't believe how many times a Human couple could argue about the same things over and over.

"I'll leave you two be. I need to shower and head over to my mothers. I promised I would stay for dinner." Kurama bid his goodbyes before going back inside the temple.

Hiei and Kitanoe stood in awkward silence for a moment before she spoke. "I know it's a strange, human thing to want to do, but do you want to watch a movie with me?"

Hiei stood still. Kitanoe couldn't tell if he was even breathing but thankfully he nodded. She gave a sigh of relief. "Okay, I need to shower first." She walked towards her window. She was making a habit of using it as her entrance and exit into the temple, for the convenience of the privacy of her room and ease of access to the outside for training.

Once she was in her room, she waited for Hiei and watched as he shut the window. "I'll just be a minute." She walked into her bathroom and shut the door. A blush was deep in her cheeks.

Kitanoe turned on the shower and quickly undressed out of her shorts and the bathing suit top and stepped into the luke warm water. It felt cooling against her sun kissed skin. It made her nervous, and not in a bad way, that Hiei was in her room while she was naked 20 feet away in the bathroom. She shook her head at the absurd idea and quickly finished her shower. She grabbed the fluffy blue towel and wrapped it around her gorgeous curvy body and gazed at herself in the mirror. She looked healthier in her opinion. Kitanoe still took the "anti-withdrawal" mixture at night, but she still craved the Roxy every so often, and she had to admit that she felt better without it. She was growing stronger and she didn't look like an under weight drug addict.

"Damn it, Female, get dressed." Hiei spoke from the doorway, startling her. She blushed and noticed the primal male need in his eyes. "Now." She never even heard the door open!

Kitanoe was stunned. She had forgotten how to talk, or move for that matter. Her mind told her she needed to kick him out and get the hell dressed, but her body was leaning towards something different. She spoke softly and carefully, "And if I refuse?"

A spark went off in Hiei's eyes. Before Kitanoe could blink, the bathroom door was shut, locked, and Hiei was standing in front of her. There was a trait that Demon's possessed, allowing them to sense or smell when another demon was aroused. The sexual tension in the tiny bathroom was overwhelming until Hiei pulled her closer to him and slammed his lips upon hers. Kitanoe held the towel with one hand and had the other hand wrapped in Hiei's hair. She gasped when he picked her up and set her on the edge of the marble counter sink. Hiei opened her legs wide enough for him to stand between them and started biting her neck; hard enough for pleasure but not enough to draw blood. Kitanoe moaned and wrapped her legs around Hiei's clothed waist. She heard him growl and it sent shivers down her spine.

Hiei pulled away from her long enough to remove her hands from the towel and easily slid it off of her. Kitanoe blushed as she followed Hiei's gaze all over her body. She wanted to ask him something stupid, like "Do you like what you see?". She quickly realized she was watching too much television. Hiei read her mind because he had grabbed her hand and placed it on his throbbing arousal. She could only feel him through his pants but she was eager to have him inside of her.

Hiei kissed her neck and down her chest. He fondled each breast equally and bit her hardened peaks, kissing across her torso to the next. She shivered with delight as he kissed down and over her belly button. He pushed her knees apart a little more as he knelt down and kissed the inside of her thighs. He kissed higher until he found his prize. Her sweet core was aching and dripping wet for him. His tongue danced across her clit as she grasped his hair with both hands and moaned. His hands clawed into her thighs, keeping her in place. Kitanoe could feel her release building up.

"Hiei...Hiei, please..." Kitanoe whimpered as he slowed down.

Hiei smirked as he looked back up at her. "Say it. "

Kitanoe's cheeks were flushed with pink. "Don't stop...please. I'm going to-AH!" She screamed out when Hiei's tongue attacked her clit again. She came with a rush and even pulled Hiei closer to her. She didn't think she could take anymore but he kept going. "Hiei, please! I can't! I-" She screamed, her second orgasm ripped through her unexpectedly. Her legs were shaking as her body came down off it's high. Hiei stood up and wrapped the towel back around Kitanoe's body. He lifted her with ease and unlocked the bathroom door with his telepathy. She noticed his shirt was off and laying on the bathroom floor as he carried her out. Hiei laid her on her bed and crawled on top of her. He caressed her face and threw the towel off the bed.

"I didn't think you could be this gentle." Kitanoe whispered as she looked into Hiei's crimson eyes.

"I didn't think you'd let me touch you." His voice was low and soft. He bent down to kiss her when a knock came at the door.

Kitanoe found herself wrapped in her towel and back in the bathroom with the door shut faster then she could solve 2 + 2. She could never get used to Hiei's speed. Shaking her head, she placed her ear to the door. She heard Hiei talking to Kurama. Hiei sounded beyond pissed off and the phrase 'Cock Blocked' came to her mind. She listened closely.

"I am staying the night at my mothers. You and Kitty will have the temple to yourselves." She could hear Kurama teasing him. "You'll be alone until noon tomorrow. "

"Why you feel the need to tell me meaningless details is beyond me." Hiei snapped without actually snapping but his voice was agitated. Kitanoe could hear Kurama chuckle, followed by the door closing. She had just enough time to back away from the door before Hiei opened it. She purposely dropped her towel exposing her naked body and laughed when his red eyes grew wild with lust.

He had her in the bathroom with quick urgency. He had her on her bed with slow deliberate passion. She found out he actually had a bedroom, and he had her there too. They had the best sex imaginable on the beach, and came inside to take a shower together where they made love for the fifth time. Kitanoe had no idea what had come over her, but she craved him. No matter what they did, she couldn't get enough of him!

She dried her hair and dressed in blue shorts and a white tank top. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was 9 PM, and she was starving. She walked down to Hiei's room considering he had gone there for clothes. She knocked first and opened the door. She was genuinely shocked to see him wearing human clothes. He was in plaid dark blue pajama pants and a white tank top. He had his Hiruseki stone necklace around his neck as well. He looked up when he saw the door open.

"We match." Kitanoe smiled.

"You mentioned a movie earlier." Hiei stated simply. His voice sent chills down her spine, in a good way.

"Yeah. Are you hungry?" Kitanoe asked just as her stomach growled. He nodded as he approached her. He lifted her unexpectedly and they were quickly in the kitchen. Kitanoe smiled and was set back on her feet after a long kiss. She searched through the fridge and the pantry for something to eat. "Any preference?" She looked over at Hiei.

"Just don't make what that Human cooks." Hiei was referring to all the health food Keiko was recently introducing to their palettes.

"You can call her Keiko, you know." Kitanoe looked through the pantry again. With some quick thinking she decided on beef lo mein. After it was cooked, Kitanoe put some into two bowls and set them on the table. Hiei wasn't in the kitchen anymore, she soon realized, but found him in the living room searching through DVD's. "What are you doing?"

"This is pointless."

"Someones grumpy..." Kitanoe mumbled under her breath. "Food's done." She walked back over to the table and soon Hiei joined her. After a few minutes of peaceful eating, Kitanoe had to ask, "So, are we just fuck buddies or is this going to turn into something?"

"We'll see where it goes." Hiei answered with a smirk.

At midnight they were settled on the couch; Hiei had his arm wrapped around Kitanoe's shoulder, and she was snuggled up to him. They finally settled on a movie, but it was terrible. Kitanoe laughed at Hiei's confusion through most of it. "Stop questioning everything! Just watch the damn movie!"

"It makes no sense!"

"It's not supposed to make sense, it's fiction. That means it's not real."

"I know what fiction means!" Hiei glared down at her.

"So then enjoy the movie." Kitanoe taunted as she looked back at the screen.

"I'd rather enjoy something else." His arm slid from around her shoulders and his hand found a place to rest on her thigh. Kitanoe smirked and took the initiative to climb onto his lap. He held onto her hips as they simultaneously moved, grinding into each other and they both started shedding clothes, eager to get to the chase. Kitanoe, fully naked, stood in front of Hiei who was sitting naked on the couch. His muscles were toned and had her biting her lip. The look he was giving her was both sexy and intimidating.

She knelt down in front of him and grasped his fully erect shaft. She kissed the tip before taking him into her mouth. Hiei laid his head back and moaned. His muscles tensed up as he grabbed a handful of her hair. He guided her up and down his shaft as she fucked him with her wet, warm mouth. Hiei pulled her off of his throbbing manhood and brought her into his lap. With simple movements he was able to maneuver inside of her wet core. Kitanoe moaned, gyrating her hips back and forth and leaving scratch marks on Hiei's chest. Just as she was feeling the build of her release, Hiei grabbed her hips and thrust upward. Kitanoe screamed out his name as he started thrusting harder and faster. She had no control of the situation and her orgasm erupted from her, sending her body into wave after wave of pleasure.

Hiei paused just for a moment and kissed her neck before he flipped her onto her hands and knees on the couch. She barely had time to catch her breath and cried out when she felt Hiei inside her once more. Kitanoe attempted to muffle her scream into the couch cushion but felt Hiei grab a handful of her hair and yank her head up.

"If you're going to scream, I want to hear it. " His voice was low, and sexual. She could hardly recognize his voice. He smacked her ass and the sting hit her immediately. She yelped, and was surprised by how much she liked it. Hiei smirked as he chuckled.

He was reading her mind.

Hiei grabbed onto her hips, digging his nails into her skin, as he started thrusting again. He was relentless and showed her no mercy. His movements became faster and harder with each thrust. Kitanoe could feel her release building. Hiei grabbed a fistful of her hair and smacked her ass, HARD, just as she came with the most erotic scream he's ever heard bless his ears. After several more hard thrusts, Hiei came inside her with a territorial growl.

Sweat beaded his forehead as he pulled out and they both moaned at the sensation. Kitanoe sat up and looked behind her to glance at Hiei and his lips instantly met hers. The movie they were watching had ended and was replaying the same Menu Screen music over and over. Kitanoe reached for the remote with her eyes closed and shut it off.

Kitanoe woke up the next morning alone in her bed. Her alarm clock said it was 9. She noticed her body was sore all over as she stretched. Even her head felt sore. She had a grin from ear to ear as she remembered the events from the day before.

As she showered she noticed a few bite marks; not skin broken bite marks, but more of a bruised mark. Her hips were also bruised but she didn't care. All she could think about was Hiei. He was more intoxicating then the Roxy she was so obsessed with before. She was unsure of her feelings for him, however. She liked him, that was obvious.

But did she love him?


	10. Chapter 10 A

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu hakusho, it's characters, or anything affiliated with it. I use the characters and locations for my own personal enjoyment and yours. I own Kitanoe Jyoni. I do use Wikia for information on locations and characters that I may need later. Rating is for language, violence, drug references, and intimacy scenes in future chapters. Please Review! Good and bad are accepted, as I value the opinions of my readers._

A/N: Here is the deal. I have really struggled with this chapter and I have TWO versions of Chapter Ten. I need my readers to tell me which one they liked best so I can continue with the story. I am really torn between the two and I can't just pick one to post. Please, if all you review is a letter then that's enough for me. Choose Chapter 10A or Chapter 10B

**Chapter 10 A**

Kitanoe was glaring at the ground as she trudged up to Genkai's temple. She had had every intention of relaxing that day, but the minute noon rolled around Koenma appeared and sent his dream team on a mission, without her, insisting she wasn't strong enough yet. Koenma instructed that she go to Genkai's until they got back.

Apparently the old hag had some answers.

She stopped at the edge of the large stone stair case that lead up to the temple. _I haven't been alone in awhile. Maybe I'll just take a quick trip into the city and have some me time_. She instantly decided that was the plan and walked away from Genkai's temple. After another hour of hiking she found the train station and boarded one just as the doors slid shut and took off.

It was surreal; being in such a human environment after the month she has had. She sat down and glanced around. The only other passengers in her train car were 3 Human adults and 1 stumbling toddler. Kitanoe glanced down and saw an old discarded magazine. She picked it up and flipped through it when she felt a tiny hand on her leg. She looked down to see the toddler Human. She was beautiful with long chocolate hair down to her waist and big brown eyes. She was at least 3 foot tall. She laughed as she patted Kitanoe again.

"Well, hello..." Kitanoe smiled down at her.

"Demon!" The little girl cooed and giggled.

Kitanoe's smiled instantly faded as she met the eyes of the adults in the car. The mother, she assumed, ran over and grabbed the child. "I'm so sorry! She's learning new words, and she doesn't understand...I'm so sorry..."

"It's...alright. No harm done." Kitanoe nodded politely.

The Human mother started to walk away but the toddler cried and screamed. "Demon! Demon!"

"That's enough!" The mother snapped. The toddler continued her fit and Kitanoe felt a small surge of Demon energy.

_That girl is a demon!? _Kitanoe had no idea what to do. She continued to observe the situation. The 3 Humans who seemed so innocent before were suddenly anxious to get off the train. The Human woman held the Demon girl in her lap as if her life depended on it. Tears poured from the girls eyes and her face was red.

"_How much did he say he would pay for this brat_?" Kitanoe's Demon ears picked up their whispered conversation over the child's screaming. Her blood was begining to boil.

"_I'm not so sure the 5k is worth all this_!" The woman glared.

The other male spoke next. "_Hush! Idiots! We get off at the next stop and once we got the money we split! The more demon kids we give this bastard the more money we make_!" He leaned back in his seat, looking rather proud.

Kitanoe stood up and approached the Humans, seething with anger. She smiled venomously at them as she stood in front of them. "Can't help but overhear you." Kitanoe glared. Her Demon energy swirled in an aura around her, scaring the Humans out of their minds.

"She's one of them! Oh dear Enma, save us!" The human woman screeched.

"Enma won't be saving you now, or ever. " Kitanoe took another step forward when the Human woman tossed her the infant child. Kitanoe was caught off guard but easily caught the girl in her arms. She watched as the Humans fled into another car as the train stopped at the station. She looked out the window and saw the 3 Humans fleeing for their lives. Kitanoe held the child protectively as she also left the train and onto the station platform. She walked until she came to a park and set the girl down on a bench. She knelt in front of the girl who had been hiccuping and her face was tear stained. "Hey now, it's alright." Kitanoe spoke soothingly.

The brown eyed girl looked at Kitanoe and hugged her tightly. "T-thank you!"

"You're welcome..." Kitanoe held her protectively. Now she was in a predicament. She had a lonely Demon child, and she couldn't get her back to Demon world without Koenma's permission. Another realization hit her. "Sweetie, where's your parents?"

"They're not here..." The little girl rubbed her eyes.

"Not in Human World? What about Demon World?"

"No!" The young girl was frustrated, "They're not here!"

"Oh...OH..." Kitanoe put two and two together. _Her parents must be dead_...She frowned at the little girl. "Sweetie, what's your name?"

"Hayzel..." She sniffled.

"Hayzel, do you have any family at all?" Kitanoe was running out of options as the tiny girl shook her head no.

"She's an orphan." A voice spoke from behind her. Kitanoe was glad to see it was Koenma. "Genkai told me you hadn't shown up, so I decided to track you down, just in case."

"I just wanted a few hours to myself." Kitanoe explained calmly. "I don't know what to do. I can't just drop her off and say 'Have a great life!', I know what that's like; Not knowing when your next meal is going to be, or if you're even going to be alive to eat it. That's not a life for a child, not even a Demon's."

"I agree. You know, Kitanoe, I wanted you to go to Genkai's to get information." Koenma sat on the bench next to Hayzel. "My father agreed to let you go through a probation period, much like Hiei and Kurama. He is grateful you managed to calm the storm in Demon world. He called off the SDF and apologizes for the DemonX poison. It would have killed you within 24 hours. He only created it for the purpose of sentencing Demons to death, rather then imprison them. "

Kitanoe sat on the sidewalk in front of the bench. Hayzel immediately left Koenma's side and hurried over to Kitanoe and sat in her lap. "Probation, huh? What all does that entitle?"

"You will be under the same guidelines Hiei and Kurama are, which does grant you more freedom, but you'll need to do more then just treasure hunt. Also, my father insists that you retrieve another item we believe is in Human world. I told him you would but not for another week or so. You are much stronger but I wanted to be safe."

Kitanoe nodded. "Why are you being so nice to me? You're usually ill tempered and annoyed."

"You have Botan to thank for that. We are a happening couple now, didn't you hear?"

"Er...No. I don't remember the last time I actually had a conversation with anyone that didn't involve missions, Demon World, or DemonX."

"Who's Botan?" Hayzel looked up at Kitanoe.

"She's a friend. Koenma what am I going to do with Hayzel?"

"I was thinking you could keep her. She seems rather taken with you."

"What!?" Kitanoe grew pale. "I...well...I don't know the first thing about kids. Where would she even sleep?"

"If you want I can send a few Ogres to your place and deck out a room for a 3 year old girl. Your bank account was still rolling a few million, last I checked."

Kitanoe just nodded. Hayzel looked back and forth between them with confused brown eyes.

"You don't have to do this, you know."

"I can't just leave her... But, Koenma, can you find her file? I want to look through it. She's just 3 but I want to know everything about her."

"Already done." Koenma handed her a thin folder. "I'll have the Ogres fill the room with toys and clothes and other essentials. Don't be out too late, Genkai is expecting you for dinner." Koenma stood up to leave.

"Wait! What will the guys think? Do they know? Are they okay with this?"

"I'll tell them when they return." Koenma gave a rare smile and waved as he walked away and disappeared into a portal. He always seemed to do that when no one was around to witness it.

Kitanoe looked down at Hayzel and smiled. "You hungry?" Hayzel grew wide eyed with excitement and squealed. Kitanoe laughed as she stood up and took her tiny hand. They walked until they came upon Keiko and Yusuke's restaurant. Kitanoe picked Hayzel up and walked in. She found Keiko and walked over. "Hey."

"Kitty! You're looking so much better!" Keiko was surprised to see her. She looked down at the Demon toddler in Kitanoe's hands. "And who's this little cutie?"

Kitanoe was silent for a minute. _Do I have to be a mother? Can I be a sister? How does this work!? _"Her name is Hayzel. I just saved her from Humans on the train here."

Keiko nearly dropped everything she was holding. "I'll be right back. Sit down over there by the window." Keiko scurried over to a table and gave them their food and drinks with a smile. Kitanoe carried Hayzel over to the empty table and noticed it was away from any eavesdroppers. She let the young girl sit by the window and Kitanoe slid in next to her.

Keiko was back over in 5 minutes and gave Hayzel some crayons and a child's menu to color on. She looked at Kitanoe with urgency. "I'm on break for the next hour. What happened?"

Kitanoe explained the situation on the train and then her run in with Koenma. Keiko was enthralled with the story and had her head cook bring Hayzel some food. She looked at it strangely. Kitanoe whispered to Hayzel. "It's Human food. It's really good, I promise."

Hayzel stared at Kitanoe with trusting eyes before she devoured her kids meal of chicken strips and fries. Keiko spoke up. "So, she's your daughter now?"

"I guess so." Kitanoe answered, unsure.

"Kitty this is...huge. Are you sure you can handle it?"

Kitanoe glared. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Keiko immediately grew defensive. "I didn't mean anything by it! I just meant...well...If you need any help, I'm here for you. I'm sure the others will be too. Maybe our little ones can grow up and be friends." Keiko placed a hand on her belly with a smile.

"You're with child?" Kitanoe was shocked.

"Yes. Yusuke doesn't know yet, but I was told Demon's could sense this kind of thing...Could you not sense anything?" Keiko's voice was suddenly worried.

"How far along are you?"

"8 weeks.."

Kitanoe closed her eyes and tried to sense a life form within Keiko. It was easy tracing Yusuke's Demon energy from the fetus. Kitanoe opened her eyes and smiled at Keiko. "Your little Demon is strong. The reason I didn't sense it right away is because he's still little. Once he starts growing I'll be able to sense his energy better. A Demon won't know you're even with child unless you tell them."

Keiko was silent for a minute before speaking. "Did you say it was a 'He'? Is it a boy?"

Kitanoe could have smacked herself. "Sorry...Yes, it's a boy."

Keiko's face was beaming with joy. "I'm having a boy!"

Kitanoe just smiled and looked down at her own little one who was sipping away at chocolate milk, coloring away at the paper. Keiko went back to work once her break was over and Kitanoe took Hayzel to the mall. Hayzel was excited and amazed at all the stores, the lights, and the high ceilings. Kitanoe laughed at her child like wonder. She took Hayzel into Build a Bear and let her make her own stuffed toy. The only thing she was able to recognize was a dragon. It was black and she had it stuffed lightly, so that it wasn't too stiff. Hayzel carried her with her all over the mall, clutched close to her chest.

At sun set, Kitanoe was back at the train station with Hayzel. She was scared to death to get back on the train and was crying her eyes out. "Hayzel, please. This is much faster. I'll protect you, I promise." Kitanoe spoke softly dispite the toddlers screams. Kitanoe sighed and picked the girl up into her arms. She walked passed the train station and walked into the woods where Humans couldn't see her. She jumped high into a tree and jumped from limb to limb all the way to Genkai's.

As far as Kitanoe was concerned, the child was 3. She had plenty of time to face her fears in the future, but right now she was not going to force her to relive a nightmare. It was nightfall by the time she got to Genkai's. When she entered, Genkai was waiting for her. "You're-" She looked at the sleeping child in Kitanoe's arms. "-Late. What is this?" Kitanoe sighed and explained the events that lead to this very moment. She sat down on the floor with Hayzel still in her arms. "So, Yusuke is having a boy. Hard to believe I started training Yusuke almost 8 years ago. He's 21 and decides to be a father, the Dimwit." Although Genkai's statement was an insult, Kitanoe could hear the pride in her voice. She really loved Yusuke and was proud of him. "So what are you going to do? It's rare for a Demon to just up and adopt a Demon child they don't even know."

"I have already made up my mind. If I can prevent even one Demon child from having the life that I had, then I feel it's worth it. I can't just forsake her. Humans were trying to sell her, and as soon as I see him again, I am going to ask Koenma to look into it. "

"You can't solve all the worlds problems. Just focus on your child for the time being. Lay her down and come eat something." Genkai stood up and exited the room. Kitanoe followed her and laid Hayzel down on a futon in a guest bedroom. She then proceeded to follow Genkai back to the kitchen. She grew wide eyed at the huge feast laid before her. "Yusuke and the others will be here shortly. Koenma is explaining your situation to them. " Kitanoe sat down in one of the chairs when she remembered Hayzels file.

She slipped her hand into her enchanted bag and pulled out the thin file.

**Name: Hayzel (Last name Unknown)**

**Age: 3 years and 4 months (Birth date in Human terms: December 5)**

**Hair color/length: Brown, 24 inches**

**Eye color: Brown.**

**Height: 37 inches**

**Demon Class: Unknown**

**Demon Race: Fire**

**Region: Tourin**

**Living Relatives: N/A**

**All Information: Hayzel was born to 2 S class fire demons, recently deceased. She was kidnapped at the age of two and sold from Human to Demon to Human. She was sought after and used as ransom to lure her Demon parents out of hiding. Once they were slaughtered she was sold once more to a Human who used Demons for torture and games. She was rescued and adopted by Kitanoe Jyoni**.

Kitanoe was shaking with fury when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped out of her chair and sighed in relief when she saw Yusuke and Keiko. Kurama and Hiei followed soon after, with Kuwabara, Yukina, and Shizuru close by. They all went dead silent when they heard a high pitched crying. Kitanoe leaped over her chair and ran to the room she laid Hayzel down in. She picked her up and cuddled her close. "Sh...I'm here, it's okay...Do you want to meet my friends?" She asked the tiny toddler. Hayzel looked at Kitanoe and wiped her eyes.

"Dragon..." She sniffled. Kitanoe bent down and picked up the black dragon and handed it to Hayzel. She walked back into the dining room and felt awkward as she noticed everyone was seated and staring at her. Hayzel snuggled closer to Kitanoe.

"This is Hayzel." Kitanoe broke the silence. The girls instantly surrounded her and squeeled with delight at the cute little Demon.

_Sorry if this ruins anything..I couldn't leave her_. Kitanoe reached out to Hiei, since she could feel him reading her mind.

_I would have killed you had you left her with that Human filth. _

_I do care deeply for you, Hiei._

_And I, you. _

_Does this change anything?_

_The only thing this changes is now I have 2 of you to look after._


	11. Chapter 10 B

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu hakusho, it's characters, or anything affiliated with it. I use the characters and locations for my own personal enjoyment and yours. I own Kitanoe Jyoni. I do use Wikia for information on locations and characters that I may need later. Rating is for language, violence, drug references, and intimacy scenes in future chapters. Please Review! Good and bad are accepted, as I value the opinions of my readers._

A/N: Here is the deal. I have really struggled with this chapter and I have TWO versions of Chapter Ten. I need my readers to tell me which one they liked best so I can continue with the story. I am really torn between the two and I can't just pick one to post. Please, if all you review is a letter then that's enough for me. Choose Chapter 10A or Chapter 10B

**Chapter 10 B**

Kitanoe was glaring at the ground as she trudged up to Genkai's temple. She had had every intention of relaxing that day, but the minute noon rolled around Koenma appeared and sent his dream team on a minor mission, without her. Koenma instructed that she go to Genkai's until they got back. The recollection of the conversation still boiled her blood:

_Kitanoe had just gotten out of the shower and was still high from her good mood. She nearly danced out of her room when she noticed the temple was still empty. She heard voices coming from the outside and was shocked to see Koenma talking to Hiei, Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara. "What's going on?" Kitanoe asked suspiciously._

_"I have to send them out on a small mission. They'll be back by this evening, but I think it's best that you're not alone and I have arranged for you to go to Genkai's." Koenma stated._

_"Whoa, you said no missions unless there was an Apocalypse! So why can't I go?!" Kitanoe crossed her arms, clearly agitated. _

_"Like I said, it's a small mission-"_

_"You're sending 3 S class Demons and Kuwabara on an easy mission? Nice try Lord Koenma but I'm not stupid."_

_"It's already been decided. Now move along or you won't be at Genkai's until sunset."_

Apparently the old hag had some answers.

She stopped at the edge of the large stone stair case that lead up to the temple. _I haven't been alone in awhile. Maybe I'll just take a quick trip into the city and have some me time._ She instantly decided that was the plan and walked away from Genkai's temple. After another hour of hiking she found the train station and boarded one headed to Kaidan just as the doors slid shut and took off.

Kitanoe got off at the next stop and was happy for the time away. The town was bustling with Human activity, and she blended in quite nicely. Her bank account was overflowing with spending money due to her past endeavors, and she nearly stopped at every store in walking distance.

Thankfully she had her handy enchanted bag with her.

She bought a bookshelf and at least one hundred books. She bought clothes and shoes. She was thrilled when she found wind chimes, and purchased several to hang outside her window. Around 4:30 she stopped at a restaurant and ate a late lunch; steak and salmon with a baked potato and light salad. Around 5:30 she was sitting on a park bench reading one of her new novels and enjoying the dull ache of the new tattoo on her upper arm when someone sat down next to her.

"Genkai told me you hadn't arrived, so I had to track you down."

"I just wanted a few hours to myself." Kitanoe sighed as she closed her book and looked at Koenma.

"You know, Kitanoe, I wanted you to go to Genkai's to get information." Koenma looked down at Kitanoe. "My father agreed to let you go through a probation period, much like Hiei and Kurama. He is grateful you managed to calm the storm in Demon world. He called off the SDF and apologizes for the DemonX poison. It would have killed you within 24 hours. He only created it for the purpose of sentencing Demons to death, rather then imprison them. "

"Probation, huh? What all does that entitle?"

"You will be under the same guidelines Hiei and Kurama are, which does grant you more freedom, but you'll need to do more then just treasure hunt. Also, my father insists that you retrieve another item we believe is in Human world. I told him you would but not for another week or so. You are much stronger but I wanted to be safe."

Kitanoe nodded. "Why are you being so nice to me? You're usually ill tempered and annoyed."

"You have Botan to thank for that. We are a happening couple now, didn't you hear?"

"Er...No. I don't remember the last time I actually had a conversation with anyone that didn't involve missions, Demon World, or DemonX."

Koenma sighed. "Yes I suppose everyone has been under a lot of stress lately."

"What mission did you send them on that I couldn't be apart of today?" Kitanoe was suddenly curious.

"A private meeting with Enki. Kuwabara was invited simply because Enki wants to make a statement about coexisting with humans. I didn't think it was necessary to send you to a meeting." Koenma stood up. "Don't be out to late. Genkai is expecting you for dinner." Koenma gave a rare smile and waved as he walked away and disappeared into a portal. He always seemed to do that when no one was around to witness it.

Kitanoe sighed when she was alone again. She stood up and tied her enchanted bag onto her waist and walked back into town. The sun was setting and the crowds were thinning out. She stopped and looked to her left. Two males waved her over. She recognized them of course; Felix's drug dealing buddies. She shrugged and walked over. "Look guys, I can't-"

"These ain't for kids, sweetheart." The taller red head spoke.

Kitanoe was suddenly interested. "Excuse me?

"Those Roxy's you like? This throws this under the table!" The dark haired male smirked. "These are Oxy 80's. 1 of these is equivalent to 3 of those Roxy's."

Kitanoe's heart skipped. "How much?"

"Not in your price range." The red head crossed his arms.

"Try me." Kitanoe glared.

"45 a pop."

"Give me 100." Kitanoe glared at the two males.

"You got the cash, Sweetie?" Mister tall, dark, and handsome laughed. "We don't front goods to anyone. First come, first served."

Kitanoe reached inside her bag and pulled out 5k like it was pocket change. "You can give me the extra 11 too, and keep the change."

The two males stared at her with pale faces. They quickly hovered in a corner and Kitanoe watched them count out 111 Oxy 80. They handed her the bottle and she shoved it in her bag. "Thanks boys, keep in touch."

Kitanoe turned away quickly. Adrenaline and guilt plagued her as she boarded the train. Paranoia swept over her, and she felt like she was being watched. Once off the train and safely in the tree tops on the trail to Genkai's, Kitanoe looked at the bottle and opened it with haste and removed 2 of the pills. She popped them into her mouth and put the bottle back into her bag. She hopped from tree to tree until she started to feel the effects of the Oxy. She swayed for a moment before she entered Genkai's. She didn't see anyone.

Tears poured down her face as the guilt became overwhelming. She felt sick and rushed to the nearest bathroom. Kitanoe shoved her fingers down her throat and forced herself to throw up the Oxy. She cried when she was sure it was all out of her system. She sat on the bathroom floor and hugged her knees to her chest.

_You're so weak and pathetic! _She scolded herself. After a few more minutes of self pity, she dug around in her bag for the pills and opened the cap with malice and watched the mountain of pills slide into the toilet. They were starting to dissolve when she flushed. Her heart ached. She couldn't understand why she felt the need to constantly be high, even though she finally had her life on the correct path.

She sat on the floor for what felt like hours when she heard a knock on the door. Kitanoe wiped her eyes and cleared her throat so her voice wouldn't break. "Just a minute." She pulled her hair back into a pony tail and washed her face and rinsed out her mouth. She opened the bathroom door and noticed Genkai looking angrier than a hornet.

"Where have you been all day, don't you know how to follow orders?" Her voice was harsh on the ears but her tone didn't signify anger.

"I can follow orders when I want to." Kitanoe said quietly.

"Clearly. Yukina prepared a meal for the three of us, I think it would be rude if we didn't join her."

"Okay..." Kitanoe followed the old woman and sat down at a small table where food was placed. Yukina looked over at Kitanoe with big crimson red eyes and a smile.

"Kitty! I've missed you! How are things at the beach?"

Kitanoe tried to cheer herself up from her pity trip and smiled. "It'd be better if I didn't destroy every thing while I was training. Thankfully Koenma usually snaps his fingers and the place is repaired..."

"Did Keiko tell you she is with child?" Yukina was so excited to share this news.

Kitanoe's eyes became as big as plates. "With child?! Does Yusuke know?"

"No. The dim wit can't tell, and as far as I know, the others can't tell either. "

"I picked up on it right away." Yukina chimed in. "I could sense him."

Kitanoe just nodded and let Genkai and Yukina carry out the conversation. She ate all the food on her plate to be polite but the truth was she wasn't at all hungry. She really missed Hiei. Yukina waved a hand in front of her face and she blinked. "Sorry, what?"

"What's that on your arm?" Yukina pointed at her arm where her new tattoo was.

Kitanoe grinned. "In the Human Chinese Zodiac, I'm a snake. This is a Cobra spitting fire and it's tail is made of ice. Since I'm half and half. " She loved the tattoo. It was almost a full sleeve. The fire was deep red and orange, the snake it self was black with lavender eyes and the ice was electric blue and looked like frozen fire.

"That's creative! Is it permanent?" Yukina asked innocently.

Kitanoe sighed with a smile. She forgot how innocent Yukina still was to the Human world. "Yes, very permanent."

"What's permanent?" Yusuke's voice sounded from the doorway. He was grinning.

"Judging by that look you must be going to another tournament." Genkai mused as she drank her tea. The room suddenly filled up with Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara, and Hiei. Keiko shyly followed in last. Kitanoe could sense the pregnancy and wondered if anyone else could. She saw Hiei's eyes dart from Yusuke to Keiko as if he put two and two together as well.

"Not for another year. Enki wants to give everyone a fair shot to train before the tournament so he's announcing it tomorrow. Say hello to the new King of Demon World!" Yusuke was cocky.

"Not likely." Hiei intervened.

"Think you can take me on, Hiei?" Yusuke grinned.

"Not in my temple, I just had Koenma get rid of the last pests I had fighting in here. Oh wait, that was you. " Genkai stood up and left the room.

"I'm no pest you old hag!"

"Yusuke, be nice!" Keiko scolded.

"Hey sweet tattoo!" Kuwabara pointed at Kitanoe's arm as he sat next to Yukina. Suddenly attention was focused on Kitanoe as she explained the story behind the body art.

Food was eaten and laughter was shared. Night soon fell and they made the long hike back to their own temple. Kitanoe was concerned that Hiei hadn't said two words to her, not even through telepathy. She got to her room and opened her window and peered outside; No Hiei. She sighed as she unpacked her enchanted bag and put all her clothes away. She was building the book shelf when she heard him.

"What are you doing?"

"Building this complicated stupid thing!" Kitanoe snapped and threw the instructions aside.

Hiei glanced at the mountain of books on her bed before looking down at all the wood pieces. "You're acting Human." He meant it as an insult.

Kitanoe glared. "It keeps me busy thank you very much. Reading happens to be a universal thing and not limited to the Human race."

"Hn."

"While we're getting pissy with each other, why haven't you spoken to me all evening?"

"I'm talking now aren't I?"

"You know damn well what I mean!"

"I read your mind." His voice was low and dark. "I saw what you bought off those fools. I saw you take them."

Kitanoe's heart skipped. "I threw them away. It was a mistake on my part."

"So was sleeping with you."

Kitanoe felt like she was slapped in the face. Her eyes widened as she looked at his harsh stare. "Hiei, you can't mean that."

"You're weaker then I thought. Clearly we aren't compatible and any chemistry felt was a result of the full moon." Hiei crossed his arms.

"Demons can love and have sex and mate other days then the full moon." Kitanoe felt her temper rising. "I wasn't in heat and neither were you, that was nothing but chemistry. How dare you try to make something that actually brought happiness to me a joke."

"No one's laughing." Hiei turned to step out the window.

"Hiei!" She stood up and grabbed his arm. "Don't do this. You bring me comfort that I can't explain. I'm sorry I'm weak and I can't control the Human urges I do have, but this is who I am."

Hiei grabbed her hand that was locked onto his arm and squeezed it tightly before he disappeared out of her window and into the night.

**Remember to Vote for Chapter 10 A or Chapter 10 B!**


	12. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu hakusho, it's characters, or anything affiliated with it. I use the characters and locations for my own personal enjoyment and yours. I own Kitanoe Jyoni. I do use Wikia for information on locations and characters that I may need later. Rating is for language, violence, drug references, and intimacy scenes in future chapters. Please Review! Good and bad are accepted, as I value the opinions of my readers._

**A/N: Chapter 10 B initially won the votes, however half way through writing this I received two more votes that suggested I somehow keep both chapters and combine both into the story somehow. So with that being said, I am continuing from Chapter 10 B and I will somehow incorporate Hayzel at a later point. Sorry for the long delay for this chapter, I just moved from Kentucky to North Carolina. **

**Chapter 11 **

It was early the next morning when a package arrived at the temple door. Kitanoe's mood was fouled by her argument with Hiei the previous night, and in her anger nearly kicked the package into the ocean. Just as she was about to take a swing at the medium sized box, she recognized it was not in a Human language but a Demon one. Her heart jumped into her throat as she knelt down to inspect it. The sun was just rising and the air was cool. The ocean waves crashing onto the sandy beach was the only sound she heard. Kitanoe popped the tape seal of the package and opened it readily. Inside were 4 different packages, and one was addressed to her; the others were for Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei. Kitanoe glared at Hiei's and had half a mind to crush it. She shook her head as she carried the entire box into the kitchen and set it on the counter. She grabbed her box, which was a little more then a handful, and went into her room.

She sat on her bed and stared at the mysterious box from Demon World. She sighed as she popped the seal on the box, just as easily as the other box, and found an invitation and an orb what is known as A Spirit of Words; A video message as it where. She scurried into the bathroom and locked the door. She tossed the orb against the wall and watched as a mist filled the room, and she was suddenly looking at the Demon King, Enki.

**If you have received this message you are invited to the Demon World Tournament which will be held one year from today! This tournament will only take place amongst B class and higher Demons. Take the time this year to train and strengthen your abilities! Demon World needs it's best soldiers! It needs YOU! Bring your written invitation on the date provided to begin registration**.

Just like that, Enki vanished. Kitanoe fell to her knees, shaking. She wasn't sure if she was more scared, or excited. She ran from the bathroom and grabbed the envelope from her bed and ripped it open. _My name is on it! MY name!_ Adrenaline started to run through her. It rushed to her head and she felt almost light headed. She needed to get out. She hid the invitation under her mattress and dashed out of her room. Thankfully Botan was just getting up and making coffee.

"Botan! Koenma mentioned a mission. I need to do it now. I want to. How do I contact him?"

"Oh well...Uh..." Botan rubbed her eyes. She clearly just woke up. Kitanoe felt bad for ambushing her with questions so early in the morning but if she didn't do something productive soon, she felt like she was going to go insane. "Hold on. I'll call him." Botan gave a tired smile as she reached into the pocket of her robe and pulled out a compact communicator. "Koenma, Kitanoe wants to talk to you. Something about a mission and that she wants to hurry and do it."

Koenma suddenly appeared in teen form, clearly annoyed from disturbed beauty sleep. Kitanoe had a large folder shoved in her hands. "Everything you need to know is right there. I'm going back to bed." He gave Botan a quick kiss on the cheek before he vanished again. Botan blushed as Kitanoe smirked in triumph.

She made sure she had what she needed and informed Botan of the package, leaving out that she too received something from the box, before leaving the temple.

Kitanoe flipped through the file and the instructions. It seemed easy enough for sure. The item was in the Human World, and in a museum. It was only guarded by humans. Kitanoe frowned as she flipped through the many pages. She thought out loud. "Okay...so King Enma desperately wants this item back, but it's in Human hands, guarded in a Human facility...Koenma made this sound so urgent...I don't understand the importance..." She flipped through the pages several more times.

The item was nothing more then an orb. It was beautiful, but it was only glass. It wasn't made of diamonds, and according the the file it didn't posses any special power. Just a white glass orb. Kitanoe just knew she was missing something. The pieces of this puzzle weren't fitting. She climbed onto the train headed 5 towns away where the museum was located. She placed the file into her enchanted bag and crossed her arms in deep thought. She closed her eyes for just a moment as her thoughts wandered over her mission, the tournament, and her estranged demon lover.

_Damn right, I'm going to that tournament_. She thought. _I am going to prove myself once and for all, to everyone, that I am not some weak childish little girl who needs protecting. I am going to train my hardest. I will do this all by myself or not at all. Maybe I can move out of the temple? Hm..Her mind continued to wander. By the time she arrived at her train station, she had a game plan. First step, get in good graces with King Enma. _

Kitanoe walked East of the train station and came across a large building. It was still open, so she paid her entrance fee and walked in. Everything inside was in a large protected case with alarms. She wasn't even sure what kind of museum this was. It had jewels, Jurassic creatures, mummies, art work, you name it. She finally came across the orb and admired it from afar. When the crowd cleared, she read it's description.

**Said to be millions of years old, this priceless artifact was believed to once be owned by the queen of the dead. It is said to reveal the purity of the souls once condemned for eternity, leading to the second chances of many. It was found 800 years ago and preserved. It was believed to hold the soul of a Deity; the queen of the dead. Auction is set at 20 trillion. This item is made of pearl, and it is rumored to be one of the many pearls the queen wore upon her neck. **

Kitanoe gaped at the price tag. She read it several times when she felt her heart stop beating. Her eyes widened and she fell back onto her ass and shook from anticipation. A passerby stopped to check on her. "Miss? Are you alright?"

Kitanoe nodded. "Y-Yeah..."

"Do I need to call an ambulance? I'm a doctor, you see. You're very pale-"

"I'm alright!" Kitanoe snapped at the man. "Oh...Oh, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. I'm alright, honestly, I am just in shock." She stood and reread the item again as the man hurried away. Once she was alone, she sighed and spoke out loud. "A giant pearl that belongs to the Queen...Shit."

Hiei glared behind Yusuke and Kurama as they watched the image of King Enki disappear. Yusuke was excited, as was Kurama. Hiei glared at the two. "Fools, did you even realize the box was already open before we received our invitations?"

Yusuke stopped and looked down at the red eyed demon. "So someone opened it, big deal. Probably just Kuwabara."

"Actually, Kuwabara was still sleeping when Kitanoe left this morning." Botan spoke from the bar stool at the counter. "She's the one who told me there was a package."

"And Enki said B class demons and higher, that means she got an invitation as well." Kurama crossed his arms. "This will be interesting to see if she accepts or not."

"Of course she'll accept. " Hiei glared at the fox demon.

"So what if she does?" Yusuke crossed his arms. "She can handle herself. Worst case scenario, she dies. Best case scenario she gets to control our asses. Or she could just lose her fight and stay alive. "

"Where is she!?" Hiei ignored Yusuke and turned his attention to Botan.

"Oh, well Koenma sent her on a mission this morning. She seemed pretty eager to leave." Botan always had the jitters around Hiei. "Why? Is there something wrong?"

"Hn." Hiei glared before disappearing.

Yusuke blinked, obviously confused. "Okay, what's up with him? And Why did Koenma send her on a mission?"

"I have no idea. Kitanoe seemed eager to leave and asked me to call Koenma. He handed her the folder and that was the end of that." Botan looked at Kurama. "Kurama, you know Hiei better then anyone, do you know what's wrong?"

Kurama shook his head. "No, but I can sense something is troubling him."

It took Hiei an hour to find Kitanoe. He was watching her through his Jagan eye. She was eying all exits and looking for escape routes. She was circling the museum and taking notes on guard positions and security camera's. The glass surrounding the pearl was weight sensitive and sent alarms off if it was removed without turning a key. Hiei watched her slyly steal a key from the guard. After hours, Kitanoe hid until the lights were turned off.

Kitanoe reached out, trying to sense something. She came up empty and dashed back to the pearl as quiet as a mouse. She pulled out the key just as a hand was placed firmly on her arm. Kitanoe wretched her arm from the assailant and flipped backwards into a fighting position. Her eyes softened at first but they quickly returned to glare. "Hiei what are you doing here!?" Kitanoe yelled in a whisper.

Hiei, not at all worried about being quiet, returned the glare and spoke. "I could be asking you the same thing. What the Hell are you doing?"

"I am doing a favor for King Enma. Now go away so I can complete this task in peace without interference." Kitanoe snapped.

"Hn." Hiei crossed his arms and stayed standing in the same spot. "Did you get an invitation from Enki?"

Kitanoe glared. "No." She lied through her teeth. "And even if I did, why would I tell you? I'm not your concern any more. All I am to you is a weak human loving fuck toy." She seethed.

Hiei's eyes darkened with an evil scowl and he vanished. Kitanoe knew he could read her mind, and reveal her lie. She shrugged, and she didn't care. She walked back over to the pearl and inserted the key, turning it all the way to the right. She hesitantly lifted the glass, expecting alarms to sound, but only silence filled her ears. She removed a fake glass orb from her bag that she had purchased from the gift shop and quickly switched the two before replacing the glass cover and removing the key.

She frowned, feeling this was too easy. As she turned around to leave she was met face to face with a gun and a very nervous security guard. Kitanoe threw her hands up. "Whoa there buddy, no need for-"

"Quiet, thief!" The guard snapped. "Our displays have silent alarms! I was watching you this whole time!" He was young and uneasy with his gun.

"Have you ever shot that thing before?" Kitanoe arched an eye brow.

"N-No but I will!" He spoke with confidence and fear.

"No need for that." Kitanoe quickly moved behind him and with a swift chop to the back of the neck caused the security guard to fall unconscious. Kitanoe grabbed him by the back of his collar and kicked his fallen gun across the room. She set him down gently before walking out into the city night sky. Koenma would have a portal ready for her by the temple in a few hours. She jumped high into the trees and gracefully and proceeded to head towards the temple. She felt relaxed as the air hit her face and the sound of the tree's rustling filled her ears.

She sensed him to her left and was too late to dodge his surprise attack.

Kitanoe fell over a hundred feet to the ground with splitting pain in her rib cage. She fell with a loud boom and held her side in agony. She saw a shadow loom over her and she glared up at Hiei.

"I caught you off guard. Even after you sensed me you didn't dodge in time. The tournament is going to be much more ruthless. You're too weak minded, too trusting, and too weak."

"Fuck you! Just leave me alone you pompous ass hole!" Kitanoe screamed, tears pricked her eyes.

"Your enemies won't leave you alone. Any sign of weakness will get you killed. They will slaughter you on site. I am trying to spare you any further embarrassment."

"You mean spare yourself from embarrassment." Kitanoe stood up. "God forbid Hiei the master of the Black Dragon shows up with a Human loving whore. Am I right?" She glared as she balled her fists.

"Don't pretend to know me when you know nothing." Hiei glared.

"You're right! I don't know anything about you! And if this is the real Hiei I am seeing, I'm not impressed. " Her comment caught him off guard. "Yusuke was Human once too. You were loyal to him! Whether you like it or not, you're also loyal to Kuwabara. So excuse me if living in the Human World gave me peace. Sorry that I picked up a few Human habits that are absolutely childish and meaningless. SO SORRY I embarrass you and our ENTIRE Demon race! If I die in this tournament, than it's on me, not you. Get out of my way and stay out of it. Your arrogance is going to get you killed, Hiei." Kitanoe shoved passed Hiei and leaped into the tree's again. Just as she landed, Hiei knocked her back down with the hilt of his sword. Kitanoe fell on her back after falling the extra hundred feet down. He loomed over her and glared.

"We're not finished here."

"The hell we are. Either kill me or face me at the tournament. Either way we're done here." Kitanoe stared up at the night sky in defeat. Her heart ached, and she knew Hiei could feel her deep emotional agony.

She could almost feel him smirk. "I won't kill you now. Be warned, if we face each other at the tournament, I won't be easy. I won't be gentle. If I have to mangle and or kill you to achieve victory, then I'll do so. "

She didn't feel him anymore. She sat up with an aching rib cage and looked around to find he was gone. Kitanoe choked back a sob as she jumped into the tree's a third time and proceeded to head to the portal for Spirit World.

Kitanoe was nervous as she stood before the large and powerful King Enma. She bowed to him before presenting the pearl. "My Lord, Prince Koenma was unaware of the bigger details of this mission. Nothing in that file stated that this once belonged to his late Mother. " She nearly flinched away when King Enma's hand, which was 3 times the size of Kitanoe, picked up the pearl with his large burly fingers.

"Koenma isn't always trusted with information. I fear he will become too involved. After what happened with Yusuke Urameshi I have come to realize that Koenma is not capable of the jobs I need done. "

Kitanoe nodded a moment. "Why did Yusuke become a Spirit Detective again? Why did you allow it?" She asked out of pure curiosity.

"My son was lonely. He loves Yusuke Urameshi like a brother and it would have been wrong of me to keep them further apart. Urameshi is always on watch because of his Mazaku blood, also he wanted his old job back." Kitanoe nodded, standing there listening. "I have a proposition for you, Thief."

Kitanoe grew wide eyed, The way he said Thief was in the highest regard. He spoke with respect and dependability. "Anything, my Lord."

"I need you to work for me, not my son." King Enma started. This threw Kitanoe off guard. "You will carry out the missions that I can not trust Koenma and Urameshi with. Your probation will be lifted indefinitely and I will relocate you."

"But my Lord!" Kitanoe spoked exasperated. "Pardon me for sounding disrespectful, but why the heck do you want me all of a sudden! You just tried to kill me with DemonX!"

"Yet you completed this mission for me, after finding out the truth." Enma pointed out. "That proved your loyalty. I apologize for the DemonX. Demons have not been a favorite race of mine." He sat back in his over sized throne. "You have great skill, and your loyalty to a cause knows no bounds. I can trust you to keep your heart out of it and keep your head in it. " He folded his hands. "Do you accept?"

Kitanoe swallowed hard. The idea was tempting. "You mentioned relocating?"

"Yes. Away from the other detectives. "

Kitanoe was shaking from anticipation. "In...Human World?"

"No. I need you at my convenience. You'll be here in Spirit World. I will send you where you are needed."

"King Enma...I accept." Suddenly Kitanoe's arm was searing from pain. She gasped as she slid her shirt sleeve up. The Kings Symbol was blazoned across her tender flesh. Now both of her arms were tattooed.

"You now belong in the King's Army. They are an even higher force then my SDF. " King Enma snapped his fingers and two soldiers appeared; one male and one female. "This is Yuki and Kaoru. They will help you adjust and train you as needed."

Kitanoe stared at Yuki and Kaoru with wide eyes. _I'm a Demon in the Kings Army!_


	13. Chapter 12

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu hakusho, it's characters, or anything affiliated with it. I use the characters and locations for my own personal enjoyment and yours. I own Kitanoe Jyoni. I do use Wikia for information on locations and characters that I may need later. Rating is for language, violence, drug references, and intimacy scenes in future chapters. Please Review! Good and bad are accepted, as I value the opinions of my readers._

**Chapter 12**

"Try harder, Demon filth!" Kaoru snapped at Kitanoe. She was vicious in her training techniques. The woman had short military cut hair and piercing yellow eyes. Her arms were crossed as she loomed over Kitanoe's form.

Kitanoe was on her hands and knee's, breathing heavily. They had been training for 4 days straight without sleep, food, or water. She had been in The King's Army now for 5 months, and she hated Kaoru with a livid passion. It was 5 months ago that she last saw Koenma, Botan, and the others. Kaoru learned of Kitanoe's passion for the Demon World tournament and began training her not only for the Army but for the tournament as well. They were going to use her as a pawn to gain control over the Demon World if she proved successful.

Kaoru kicked Kitanoe under her jaw line and sent the weakened Demon flying across the training grounds. Kitanoe collided with several stands of weapons and equipment and didn't bother to get up. "Weak!" Kaoru snapped.

Kitanoe lifted her head, shaking uncontrollably. "I...I fucking hate you!" She gasped for air.

Kaoru glared. "At least your spirit and arrogance in unharmed. We will rest for 24 hours before we resume. I suggest you use those hours wisely." Kaoru turned and left the room without so much as another word.

Yuki, her male trainer, appeared through the wall as if he were some kind of ghost. Kitanoe was used to his disappearing acts by this point. Yuki was light blond with pale green eyes. He offered his hand to Kitanoe. "I advised you not to piss her off."

Kitanoe glared as she accepted his hand. He pulled her to her unstable feet. "She needs to be put on medication, that's what she needs." Kitanoe sighed as Yuki wrapped her arm around his shoulder and helped her walk to her dorm. Her limp was noticeable. "Please tell me I train with you this week." Kitanoe winced with every step. Yuki simply nodded as they stopped in front of a blue door with the number 6117 on it. "Thanks, Yuki."

"I'll be back for you in 24 hours." Yuki bowed and disappeared through the floor.

Kitanoe shook her head as she placed her palm on the pad next to her door. It scanned her palm quickly before addressing her. She heard a familiar robotic voice sound off. "Kitanoe Jyoni, Soldie 7. Access Granted." The faint sound of the door unlocking sounded and Kitanoe opened the door, shutting it behind her. Once locked, she slumped against the door and sat on the ground.

Her heart was shattered. She missed the Human World. She especially missed Hiei, even with his hateful behavior. She didn't want to be someones pawn in the game of universal domination. She held back her tears as she stood back up and limped to the shower. The hot water was more then she could have asked for. She was almost too tired to eat once she was dressed, but she knew that wouldn't be wise. She ate 2 simple sandwiches, a bag of chips and drank 2 full glasses of water. She proceeded to her room where she took 2 "Healers"; a Spirit World, non addictive, medication that heals all wounds in 4 hours or less. Without them she would probably be dead, or at least a walking corpse look-a-like. Her head hit the pillow and she slept for 16 solid hours.

* * *

><p>"I can see you're still searching for her." Kurama's calm demeanor startled Hiei out of his Jagan induced trance. Hiei stared down at the fox Demon with a glare.<p>

"What do you want now, Kurama?"

"You won't be able to trace her. She is in The Kings Army. You know they are under the highest protection, not even your Jagan eye could find-"

"I can sense her. " Hiei continued his glare. "I can't see her, but I can sense her. It's maddening."

"It's been almost half a year, Hiei. " Kurama pointed out. "There's a good chance she won't even be allowed to enter the tournament now that she works for Enma. "

Hiei visibly sighed as he closed his eyes and leaned back against the tree.

* * *

><p>Kitanoe woke up to pure darkness. Looking at the clock she sighed as she realized she still had 8 hours to go. She stretched and got out of bed slowly, expecting her body to ache all over. She was always surprised to find out she was never sore due to the Healers. After a quick shower, she devoured a breakfast of eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy and a 16 ounce steak, medium rare. She tied her hair and dressed quickly before heading down to The Commons; a large gathering room or living room. She was surprised to see Yuki there.<p>

"Yuki?" Kitanoe approached slowly.

"Just one moment, I never miss this show."

Kitanoe stared at the television screen and had to smile. "You're really watching ?"

"Oh, yes. I never miss it. " Yuki was glued to the TV. It was also the first time since meeting him that Kitanoe was witnessing him do something completely human.

"Yuki, are you-"

"Human? Hardly. Nor am I Demon. I am of a different class and breed all together, but I will explain later. Now leave me to my show, female." He waved her away.

"Yuki...Am I allowed to-"

"See Koenma and get permission to go to the Human World? No. Unfortunately because you are Demon there are certain restrictions you must abide by. Think of it as a probation period, to gain trust. After the tournament you should have the grounds to do whatever you please." Yuki glanced at her with his light green eyes. She took the time to notice the show was paused for commercial break.

"I feel like a prisoner." Kitanoe blurted out.

"Prisoner? My dear, don't you realize how much power you have? We are above the SDF. You can't get any higher then that unless your name is Enma or Koenma. You are free to do as you please."

"Then why does Kaoru insist on the brutal training sessions to train me up for the Demon Tournament? She said it herself, I am a pawn to be used to gain power and control of the Demon World if I win."

"Kaoru is full of shit." Yuki cursed. It shocked Kitanoe. Yuki was always so well mannered and proper. He never said an ill word in the time Kitanoe spent with him. " She just likes to push your buttons, see where your limits are." He sipped quietly on what she assumed was tea.

"Well...I can't stand her."

"No one can. But she is one of King Enma's top front line soldiers, and by rank you need to respect her. "

His tone startled Kitanoe but she didn't say anymore.

Kitanoe and Yuki proceeded to train for the next several days. Kaoru and Yuki switched off every other week, and every day Kitanoe grew stronger. 7 months flew by quickly and 2 weeks before the tournament she was promoted to 3rd soldier, only Kaoru and Yuki stood in her way of being the best. She was faster, smarter, and could harness energy like she never could before. She cut her hair, not as short as Kaoru kept hers, but it was still pretty short. Her hair was a lot like Yusuke's without the gel, only her hair was a little longer and looked more feminine.

"You ready for registration?" Kaoru smirked at Kitanoe from the door way of her dorm. "Nice hair by the way."

Kitanoe ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "I hate it, but thanks. Yeah, I'm ready."

"Yuki and I will be coming with you for support, or in case you need back up for any reason."

"You can't interfere in the matches." Kitanoe frowned.

"I'm not talking about the matches, I'm talking about any outside arena drama." After Kitanoe nodded, Kaoru spoke again. "You'll need to be in disguise."

"What? Why?"

"We can't have anyone recognizing your tattoo at first. You'll be asking Demons to slaughter you. Also Koenma's team will be there, and we don't need anyone getting emotional or holding back. You'll be able to fight them better if they don't know who you are."

Kitanoe sighed as Kaoru handed her a long navy blue hooded cloak with attached mask that covered all but her eyes. She wore it and actually liked it. "I feel like a ninja."

"Well you were trained by one." Kaoru smirked. "Now grab that invitation of yours and let's go. Yuki put it on your desk."

"Oh, Kaoru. You dressed the poor girl like a mummy." Yuki spoke from the door way. He and Kaoru were wearing white uniforms with gold trim.

"Its necessary Yuki." Kaoru glared.

Kitanoe grabbed her invitation and looked between the two. "Hey! Quit arguing like an old married couple and lets go to Demon World!" Her excitement was building.

"You have the qualifications to make a portal now. We trained you, so give it a shot." Yuki folded his arms as he leaned against the wall.

Kitanoe stared blankly for a minute before she confidently placed her hands out in front of her. She closed her eyes and preformed several signs with her hands in a quick skilled motion before chanting, "_Kisera Lo daxi mosh xexia_!"

It took a few seconds, but a portal to Demon World opened before them.

"Nice job there." Kaoru admired the work. She stepped into the portal without waiting for Yuki or Kitanoe.

"After you Milady." Yuki bowed and waited for Kitanoe. She gladly stepped inside and soon she was standing next to Kaoru with Yuki not far behind.

Kitanoe, still in disguise, walked over to the registration table and signed in. Several names caught her attention on the scroll. _They're already here_! Her heart stopped. She continued her sign in and received hotel room keys for her and her plus 2 that she was allowed. She walked back over to Yuki and Kaoru.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." Kaoru noticed as she was given her room key.

"They're here already." Kitanoe could barely contain the hurt in her voice.

"Darling, they're not your team anymore. We are." Yuki said it was nicely as he could.

"They're still my friends!" Kitanoe frowned.

"They are obstacles standing in your way for victory. You are a high A class Demon, start acting like it." Kaoru snapped.

Kitanoe glared at her superior. She hated being reprimanded like a child. "I need to be alone." She walked passed them after giving Yuki his room key and ended up getting lost in a crowd of Demons. She over heard many conversations; betting, contestants, seats, hotel rooms, and other mindless chatter.

For the first time in a year, she regretted leaving the temple.

She stopped when her eyes met a familiar red eyed girl with light blue hair. _Yukina..._She almost panicked until she remembered she was in disguise. Yukina's eyes met Kitanoe's, and even she looked puzzled. That's when Kitanoe noticed the others were with her; Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei. Also Kuwabara, Shizura, and Keiko who was holding an infant child, were there as well. Kitanoe felt her heart break into a million pieces upon seeing Hiei and quickly turned to leave when a hand grabbed her.

She turned to see Yukina, still staring at her eyes. "Kitty?" She asked unsure.

Kitanoe pulled Yukina out of eye sight and ear shot. "Yukina, you need to stay away from me. They can't know it's me, I'm not allowed to reveal myself."

There were tears in Yukina's eyes. "We've missed you...even -"

Kitanoe held her hand up, unable to vocally ask her to stop talking about Hiei. "Please Yukina. This is hard for me as it is. I miss you all too..." Her voice cracked. "This is something I need to do, that I have been told to do. Please just trust me. I will find you all when the tournament comes to a close. "

Yukina wiped her eyes and nodded. Kitanoe watched her get back to her group before she trailed back to find the hotel, tears streaming down her face the entire time.

Kaoru and Yuki looked up once she opened the door. "What happened?" Yuki exclaimed as he put his book down.

"I'm done. I can't keep doing this. I miss Human World, I miss my friends damnit. All I have is you two, and no offense but it's been a pretty lonely life for the past year." Kitanoe slumped down in the recliner, taking off her hood and mask.

"I suppose it wouldn't help to tell you tomorrow is the last day of your probabtion? You will be free to roam where you please, so long as you come when you're called." Kaoru spoke and she sounded bored.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Kitanoe glared.

"Oh don't flatter yourself, I hate everyone."

"It's true." Yuki spoke from his spot. "We just ordered room service. Care to sit with us?"

Kitanoe looked at him suspiciously. She always ate alone, not one time was she asked to eat with anyone in the Army. "Why?"

"Because you've grown on me. You're 3rd in command now, Kitanoe. You should feel very proud of what you accomplished in a year. Most new recruits can't make it this far in a year. New recruits take up to 5 years to get trained the way we taught you." Yuki shrugged with a smirk on his beautiful face.

"We needed you ready for this tournament." Kaoru spoke. Her voice was really starting to piss Kitanoe off.

"I really hate you." Kitanoe growled.

"Good."

"Kaoru, can it. " Yuki stepped in. "How can you expect her to feel apart of the team if you're always a hateful shrew."

"She is a Demon. I haven't liked this decision ever since it was made. I was hoping that the training would kill her but she kept proving herself, and now she is my third while you are my second. Our job is to kill Demon's-"

"Our job is to protect the innocent, whether they are Human or Demon." Yuki glared.

Kitanoe had had enough. She hurriedly stood up and left the room once more. She stormed down the hall way and got into the elevator. Once inside she replaced her hood and mask. She waited impatiently to drop 25 floors and once at the bottom she hurried out of the elevator only to run right into someone. "Sorry! I-" She stopped. "This just isn't my day..." She breathed.

She was face to face with Hiei, just at Yuki appeared from the wall. "Ah, dear sister, there you are. " Yuki spoke as he looked Kitanoe's friends up and down. There was a brief silence. The others were there as well, but Kitanoe couldn't stop looking at Hiei.

Kitanoe realized Yuki was covering for her. She couldn't break her eyes away from Hiei. Panic set in as she realized she was about to blow her whole cover. Yuki wrapped his arm around her and began to lead her away. "I do apologize, she has social anxiety. I told her it wouldn't be wise to come to such a gathering but she insisted." Yuki bowed and Kitanoe followed suit. They hurried along and Kitanoe didn't notice Yuki looking back and glaring at her old friends.

It was a warning to stay away.


End file.
